Fire and Ash
by It'sIzzy
Summary: Just the name Thalia Ashwood strikes fear in the heart of the supernatural community. She's sassy, cunning, manipulative, and reckless. Being one of the Original vampires isn't why she's cold, it's something deeper and darker - a secret from her past that we may never uncover - and it'll ruin Thalia and the life she built. It all ends in Fire and Ash, so will Thalia get out alive?
1. Fire and Ash

As I drove into the small town of Mystic Falls, I blared the song Paradise City by Guns n Roses. People turned to stare at me as I sang along, but I ignored them all. I couldn't care less about what they think of me. I'm an Original vampire with a few tricks up my sleeve. They're nothing to me.

The only reason I had returned to this pathetic place was because Klaus had found someone with my number. It turned out to be a vampire named Beck who gave it to Klaus, so that was the end of Beck. I did return to town because I wanted to, but it was also because there were so many opportunities here for me now.

After an unfortunate event in New Orleans, I decided that I didn't want to travel with Klaus. I'd almost been killed three times, so I wanted to travel alone. The other Originals either had a White Oak Dagger in their heart or were with Klaus, apart from Elijah.

A white oak dagger is the only thing that could kill me, even if it was temporary, but I wasn't taking any more chances. Elijah had gotten a dagger in his heart after Klaus unlocked his werewolf side, making him a vampire-werewolf hybrid. It also meant that I became a hybrid of some kind too.

Klaus had told me that Damon and Stefan Salvatore stole the coffins, so he needed my help, but that wasn't good enough for me. I had a long history with the Salvatore brothers. When Damon was human, I took him as a lover. Stefan and I then crossed paths and ended up sleeping together about ten times too, maybe more.

I came to town as I had received a call from Elijah and he told me he was taking the daggers out of Kol, Rebekah and Finn as soon as he could. It seemed exciting and when he had called me about twelve hours ago, Klaus wasn't aware that he was free.

It was now about eight in the morning. I drove towards the mansion that Elijah had kindly given me the directions to. In fact, if I really focused, then I could see the mansion in the distance, but I was trying to focus on not crashing right now. These roads are a mess.

As I drove down the road that led to what I assumed was Klaus' mansion, I found Elijah waiting out the front. Carefully, I parked my new car and got out, making sure to lock it. There was no way in hell that I was risking my 2014 Maserati GranTurismo.

Someone had stolen my 1967 Chevy Impala and I had killed them for it, but they had already wrecked my poor, beautiful car. It was currently being fixed, but not very fast. I had to compel a mechanic in Chicago to fix it as soon as he had the time, which might be a while.

Elijah was looking _fine_. He wore a classy suit, with the tie and everything. His brown hair was stylishly classy and his grey-brown eyes shone with a kind of intelligence that not many people have. His skin was still somewhere between pale and tan, and he was average height, muscular and handsome.

"It's been a long time, Thalia," Elijah greeted, pulling me into a hug. "How are you?"

"Surprisingly okay," I replied. "How have you been?"

"Well, I've been temporarily dead for a while, so I assume it's self-explanatory." We both laughed and I saw that Elijah's smile quickly dropped. "Anyway, Klaus is inside and he'll want to see you. Don't even try to tell him that I'm taking the daggers out of the hearts of the others."

"Of course not. I'll see you later."

Elijah walked off and I headed up to the doors of Klaus' new mansion. It looked very fancy from the front, which was big enough to allow at least six people walk in at one time. When I knocked on the door and waited, I looked around a little.

The front garden was neatly trimmed and clearly taken care of very well. It had tall hedges and a lot of different types of flowers that all matched each other. The grass and hedges were a lush green and the road was clearly newly laid down.

I heard the door open and turned back to the front. When I saw someone who was not a Mikaelson, I got confused. The man, who was in his thirties, glared at me. He must be a hybrid, now that Klaus could make them. I wasn't surprised that he was using them to do things for him, like slaves.

As I went to walk in, a whole bunch of hybrids rushed to the door and formed a semi-circle around me. I sighed and shifted all of my weight onto one leg. I gave them my best bitch-face and stood there, just waiting for someone to say or do something.

One of the hybrids decided to enter an intense stare-down with me, but she looked away first, as I made her heart begin to ache. I smirked, which earned another glare from the hybrid, as well as a few others. They really were half-wolf.

They were so adorable, thinking that they could stop me and frighten me. I'm an Original vampire with a few secret tricks. Hybrids are nothing to me. They never have been and never will be. Being turned at seventeen had it's set-backs, but it was good because I was in peak physical form.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" One hybrid woman asked me, storming over with a nasty look on her face. "Get out! Klaus ordered us to keep everyone out until he said so!"

"I think he'll want to see me, hun," I insisted, pretending to be calm and polite, even though I wanted to tear her limb from limb. "You see, I'm Thalia Ashwood, an old friend of his. We're both Originals, so we go _way_ back."

"Go home, _Thalia_ ," the hybrid I had injured instructed.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I stepped inside and they all ran at me. I pulled out the hearts of two of them and fought them all off, so I didn't get bitten by any of them. Someone was running over, but I was a bit too busy to look up, or even care.

"Stop!" Klaus commanded, firmly. "Let her in and go do something useful!"

Even though they tried to fight the command, all of the hybrids walked off. I guessed that they had a sire bond thing going on. That was convenient for Klaus, but if I were to compel them, he could stop them from doing what I had made them do.

Klaus looked up at me and his handsome, masculine yet delicate face went blank. His blue eyes lost their shine and his pale skin seemed to get paler. He was well-built and just under six foot, by an inch, but his entire body seemed to slump when he saw me.

It had been a very long time since we had last spoken properly. He would find a way to contact me if he ever needed something, but that was not often. We could've left each other on better terms, but I knew that it could be a lot worse.

As we looked at each other, I noticed that my feelings stayed somewhat neutral. I had no reason to run to Klaus and greet him, but I was here and that proved I didn't hate him. He was still attractive though. At least that had not changed.

"Thalia, it has been a very long time," Klaus stated, unsure of how to react. "I do believe that when we spoke last you then almost died three times and decided to leave."

"Yeah, I'd like to say that it was a great time, but it really wasn't," I replied, trying to keep it normal and not awkward. I was definitely failing. "So, how have you been?"

"Good," Klaus said, leading me through his house. "I'm a hybrid now, as you can see. Elijah is joining me for a while, but he'll end up with a dagger in his heart eventually. He seems to be acting unusual."

"Nothing can be called unusual when your half-brother is a vampire-werewolf hybrid and he stabbed you in the heart with a dagger that temporarily kills you. Oh, and when you take that dagger out, you'll wake up a few hours later. And we can't forget the fact that his father, who's your step-father, is trying to kill you all."

"Mikael's dead. I killed him and watched him die all because of his own weapon."

"What?! I'm sorry, _Mikael's dead_ and _you_ killed him?"

Klaus and I stopped in a room and he poured us both a glass of whisky. I drunk the whisky like a shot, even though it clearly wasn't. Then I put the glass down and turned to look at Klaus, who looked as if he was waiting for something.

"I killed Mikael. Damon Salvatore went to kill me, but then his brother Stefan stopped him and I got the stake, and then I killed Mikael." Klaus disappeared and then came back about three seconds later, holding a white stake in his hands. "Would you like to see it?"

"Get it away from me!"

The stake flew out of Klaus' hands and across the room. Wind blew through and the lights flickered. He just smiled, picked up the stake and placed it on the table. Thankfully, Klaus wasn't stupid enough to go near the stake, or he would be the one to fly across the room.

Three of Klaus' hybrids ran in, looking worried. One of them was on the verge of panicking and I almost laughed. Thankfully, I managed to control myself and just stood there, watching all of the hybrids in the room, including Klaus.

Klaus was surprised and shocked, which amused me. I grinned, crossed the room, and poured myself another glass of whiskey. I sipped it and waited for someone to speak. Of course, I had just moved and used my heightened speed.

"What happened?" One of the calm hybrids asked. "Did your visitor attack you?"

"It's quite alright," Klaus insisted. "Thalia just demonstrated her power. We aren't the only kind of hybrids that exist, although Thalia is the only one of her kind and that cannot change. Now, run along and do whatever it was that you were doing before."

All of the hybrids left and I laughed, then took another sip of whiskey. Klaus looked at me and smiled a little. It was more of a grin. In fact, it was the same grin that he got when he thought of something or if he found something out.

"Your power is back." He said, losing the grin. "We're having a dinner tonight and both of the Salvatore brothers will be there. I hear that you have an extensive history with them, so I need you to do me a little favour."

Klaus' favour had turned out to be me finding the Salvatore brothers and talking to them. It had been so long that I was nervous to see Damon, and amused by the fact that Stefan wouldn't give a single damn. Thankfully, they were easy to find, as they had moved back into their old house.

As I walked up to the door, smiling as if everything had gone my way for the past 1000 years, I saw an obnoxious little thing called a doppelgänger. She looked distressed, which made me actually feel good about myself. I didn't care how nice this girl was, I just knew she looked like both Tatia and Katherine, and I hated them enough to enjoy her obvious distress.

When the doppelgänger looked up at me, I nodded at her and continued on my way to the door. When she stepped in my way, I sighed loudly and considered tearing her throat out. However, something told me that Klaus needed her, so I didn't.

This new doppelgänger was exactly like the others. She was average height and although everyone would tell her she was beautiful, she was just a pretty face. She had olive skin, brown doe eyes and brown hair. This one went with the girl-next-door look, which made her seem even more whiny and annoying.

She stared at me and I stood there, looking her right in the eyes. Eventually she would begin to feel very uncomfortable and would either look away or actually move. Sometimes psychology worked better than compulsion or threats.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She asked me.

"Who the bloody hell are _you_?" I retorted.

"I asked first!" She whined, managing to get on my nerves already.

"Well, little girl, respect your elders. I'm an Original, so I think you should tell me first."

"Elena who are you-" A familiar voice said, but trailed off. "Thalia?"

"The one and only," I replied, grinning and turning to look at the eldest Salvatore brother properly. "It's certainly been a long time, _Damon_."

Damon Salvatore didn't look any different, apart from his clothes and his age, which was hard to notice at first. His strikingly blue eyes still shone and his brown hair was still so dark that it looked black. He still had pale skin and was average height and had a slightly muscular build. His eyelashes really did compliment his eyes, especially now.

He really looked at me and I just smirked. Elena, the new doppelgänger, took that as her cue to leave, which I was thankful for. Damon noticed, of course, and I just sighed. He was infatuated with another one of them. Great.

I walked up to my old friend, and he froze. He knew that I was an Original, but he had probably thought that it was all a lie, seeing how I had compelled him to forget it. In fact, I hadn't seen Damon since 1863, when I left because of the threats his father was sending me. That probably led him to doubt quite a lot of the things I'd told him.

"I thought you lied about the Originals," Damon said. "Come in. We have some things to talk about, like the fact that you slept with my brother and compelled me to forget you."

"Ah, yes," I muttered. "I almost forgot about that." I hesitated slightly. "I think we should go inside. I can feel the doppelgänger jealously glaring at me."

Damon looked at me and did the best bitch-face I've seen in a while. Mine was better, of course, but I'd perfected it so I no longer needed to practice it in front of a mirror. We did, however, both walk inside and into what was once the drinking parlour, which was still used for drinking judging by the smell of bourbon and misery.

As I walked in, I spotted Stefan sitting on one of the armchairs and drinking from a bottle of bourbon. His eyes locked onto my own and I smiled. Damon noticed this and just poured two glasses of bourbon. At least he remembered how much I love bourbon.

I drunk half the glass in one go and then looked at both of the Salvatore brothers. They seemed to both have very different emotions. Well, Damon had emotions and Stefan didn't, to be specific. Damon looked confused as well as angry, and Stefan looked as if he couldn't care less.. and he actually couldn't.

Damon took a seat, so I decided to sit down too. If I needed to stand up then I would use my abilities to knock them over and stand up, just to be safe. It wasn't like the two brothers were any threat to me, but I was always ready because you never know what could happen.

"Well, what happened last time you saw a Salvatore brother, Thalia?" Damon asked, pretending to care and to be happy. "Didn't you sleep with him and then leave the city altogether?"

"Yes, but my adopted father did come to kill me and only me, as I was leading him away from Klaus and the others so they would be safe," I told them. "You've met Mikael, haven't you? Never mind. Don't answer that. Of course you have. After all, you teamed up with him to try and kill Klaus, but you failed."

"My bad," Stefan muttered. "Didn't you compel Damon and I to forget you back in 1863?"

"You did," Damon agreed. "I remember that fondly. Well, I remember it now that I'm a vampire. I didn't remember anything about you then. Somehow you got my father off vervain too. That was quite a feat."

"Well, he was threatening to expose me to everyone and the town vampires tried to kill me numerous times, with his help," I explained. "However, I can understand why you'd be angry. I mean, it's not like I left you a beautiful ring and compelled you to think that a beautiful woman who you had fallen in love with gave it to you. It's not like there's no trace of that ring or anything."

Damon looked defeated and Stefan got up and left the room. I smirked and then got up too. Damon watched me as I walked out of the room. When I got in my car, I laughed and then sped back to Klaus' mansion.

Klaus had expected me to come back to town when he built his mansion, so I found a wardrobe filled with clothes. Despite the fact that we had not seen each other in a very long time, he knew me well and could easily guess my style and what I looked good in. There was a lot of black, but also some designer clothes, which were all really pretty.

Tonight we were meant to be having a nice dinner with the Salvatore brothers, so I chose to wear a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark red shirt and a black leather jacket. I matched that with my new combat boots, my necklace that had a tree on it and had been given to me by one of my older brothers, my ruby ring that allowed me to control my abilities, and my lapis lazuli daylight ring.

Then I walked into my en-suite, which could link into Klaus' room if the door into there wasn't locked by me. My black hair fell to my shoulder blades in perfect curls and my purple eyes shone with power and fierceness. My skin, although pale, had a glow to it and as I was average height, I didn't look too tall or too short.

I heard a loud knock on the front door, so I used my vampiric speed to get downstairs. Klaus and Elijah walked the Salvatore brothers in as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Klaus and Elijah smiled at me, so I smiled back.

We all took a seat at the dining table and began to eat, apart from Stefan. He looked like he was sulking and that amused me slightly. Two blonde young women came out and put everyone's food down in front of them.

Both Damon and Stefan were across from me. Klaus was seated at the head of the table, so Elijah and Damon were next to him. Stefan sat next to Damon and I sat next to Elijah, so we were directly across from each other.

"Thank you, love," Damon said, eyeing the girl's neck.

"You lost your appetite," Klaus pointed out, speaking to Stefan.

"Eat," Damon commanded. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."

"That's the spirit," I said, pretending to be cheerful. "Isn't it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you called me here, Klaus? How about when you removed the white oak dagger from Elijah's heart, Damon?"

"Well, I know how he felt about you, Klaus, so I figured the more the merrier," Damon replied, smiling a little. "As for Thalia, something tells me that her being here will benefit Stefan and I more than you."

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century, but we always make it through," Klaus insisted. "As for Thalia, well, she and I have usually gotten on quite well."

"Especially in bed," I muttered, pouring myself a glass of wine and taking a sip to cover my smirk.

Klaus seemed amused and Elijah gave me a warning look. I set my glass down and picked at the meal in front of me. The good thing about being a vampire is that you can't put on anymore weight, which is just an excuse to eat everything you want to.

Damon and Stefan both looked disgusted, but there was a mixture of surprise, jealousy and something that looked like hurt in Damon's eyes. I took another sip of wine and acted as if I hadn't said anything. It was not like I really cared what other people thought of me.

"Your relationship with Elijah is kind of like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan asked Klaus, trying to get on his nerves. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her."

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah and Thalia figured it out a day after Mother died," Klaus said, calmly.

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" Damon questioned. "Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon," Stefan pointed out. "That doesn't mean we need to kiss ass for seven courses."

"We have a long evening ahead of us," I told him, taking another sip of wine. "Pace yourself."

Elijah seemed satisfied with my advice, so I finished off my wine and poured myself another cup. There was probably something else that I could be doing right now, but I was a bit hungry. I wonder if Mystic Falls had a McDonalds so I could go on a Maccas run.

"Stefan, where is the lovely Elena tonight?" Elijah asked.

"I don't know," he replied, coldly. "Ask Damon."

Klaus and I both laughed. That earned a glare from both the Salvatore brothers, so I stifled my laughter by taking a sip of wine and waiting for someone to say something to change the topic. I knew that if we continued to talk about Elena, then we would talk about either Tatia or Katherine and I hated them both.

"I'm sorry, you've missed so much trouble in paradise," Klaus informed Elijah.

"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over," Stefan warned, annoyed.

"You know what, it's probably best just to keep Elena in the do not discuss pile," Damon decided.

"You're probably right," Klaus agreed. "It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"

My mood immediately darkened and it would just get worse. Tatia was a complete bitch and I don't care if she's dead or not, but I never liked her and I never will. When I discovered she was dead, I was truly happy for once.

"Now, why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah asked, noticing the look on my face.

"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line," Klaus said.

"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah," Damon insisted. "Please, do tell."

"Tatia was a colossal bitch," I said, standing up. "If you'd excuse me, I'm going to go and get something a bit stronger to drink. I'm not feeling any kind of buzz yet."

I stood up and walked out of the dining room. When I was safely six rooms away, I leaned against the wall of the hallway and took a few deep breaths. For some reason, I always got angry while thinking about her. We had never gotten along, but what she had done was wrong.

Tatia was just some pretty woman who lived in the village. She looked exactly like Katherine and Elena and she played with the hearts of two brothers too. Another thing that she had in common with Elena was that they are both whiny, or at least that's what I've heard and briefly seen.

When I had first arrived in the village, Klaus had been the one to save me. I was there to do a job, but then I met the Mikaelsons and Klaus convinced his mother to let me stay. They all thought that I was an orphan, but that was far from the truth.

I had only been fourteen at the time, but I fell in love with the sweet, caring, innocent Klaus. He is very different now, but I don't mind. When he finally began to love me back, Tatia came along and stole him. The worst thing was that I had to watch his heart get broken when Tatia decided to toy with Elijah too.

Of course, when I tried to speak to Tatia about it, she was rude and disrespectful. She had a child with another man, but he apparently wasn't good enough for her and neither was her child. Every other person who knew her would tell you that she was kind and true, but she wasn't. They didn't get to see her other side.

Esther had hated her too, as two of her sons were being torn apart by Tatia and I hadn't done anything like that when I had won Klaus' affections. She then used Tatia's blood in the spell that turned us all into vampires and killed her after binding Klaus' werewolf side and my abilities. I had wanted to be the one to kill her, but I never got the chance.

I heard glasses clink, but I still needed a bit more time, just in case. Instead of going back to the room or near it, I went for a walk around the house. After about fifteen minutes, I went back to the dining room and saw that both Damon and Elijah were gone and Klaus was holding Stefan's arm in the fire, but then he pulled him out.

"You really have given up, haven't you?" Klaus asked, surprised and a little disappointed. "Where's the fight? Where's the ripper?"

Klaus pushed Stefan, so he pushed back and I cleared my throat. Klaus and Stefan both turned to look at me, but then Damon and Elijah came back through the other door. I assumed that was a bad thing, as Klaus was now suspicious.

"Elijah, why haven't you left?" Klaus asked.

"Where are your manners, brother?" Elijah replied, casually. "We forgot dessert."

A blonde woman walked in with a plate that had a cover on it. Elijah took the cover off and two of the white oak daggers were laying on the plate. I panicked and stepped back from Elijah, towards the door.

"What have you done?" Klaus questioned, clearly frightened.

"What have _you_ done? You see, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms now."

Kol walked into the room. He hadn't changed since the last time I saw him. His brown hair was slicked back and his brown eyes shone with anger and wildness. He was average height, pale, handsome and had his usual smirk plastered on his face.

"Kol," I said, taking another step back.

"Long time, no see," he replied.

Klaus began to back away too. Finn ran into the room, grabbed a dagger and stabbed Klaus through the hand. Kol pulled me back into the room and threw me over to where Finn was. I swore as he then took the dagger he had just stabbed Klaus with and thrust it into my back, temporarily paralysing me.

"Finn, don't!" Klaus yelled, seeing me lying on the floor, clearly in pain.

Finn was the eldest Mikaelson and certainly not the best looking. His brown hair was shoulder-length and wavy, and his brown eyes shone with anger. He was tall and the only tan Original, which no one really understood.

Klaus got up and tried to run off, but he ran into Rebekah instead. She stabbed him with a white oak dagger and Klaus fell back, into Kol's arms. Kol restrained him as Finn took out the white oak dagger and stabbed me in the back again, making sure to hit the part of my spinal cord that controlled my body. I hissed in pain, but kept my mouth shut.

Rebekah was the only female Mikaelson. She was beautiful with icy blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and pale skin. She is tall and slim, yet athletic-looking. She looks about 18, which was her age as a human, and she has a very pretty face.

Elijah told Damon and Stefan to leave. Damon stepped forward to pull the dagger out of my back, but Elijah stopped him. Both Salvatore brothers left as I laid on the floor, trying to get movement to at least my arms.

"I like what you've done with the new place, Nik," Rebekah said, picking up a vase and throwing it into a painting.

"I wanted it to be for all of us," Klaus insisted. "A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well you're right, none of us will be," Elijah told us.

"You're staying behind," Finn added, pushing the dagger further into my spinal cord.

"What about me?" I asked, trying not to sound as if I was in pain. "I've not wronged any of you."

Rebekah and Finn turned to look at me, judgmentally, Kol looked sad, and Elijah showed no emotion. I could see that Klaus was clinging on to the hope that if I stayed, they would all stay too or that he would still have someone.

"How many times have you taken Niklaus' side in a fight or argument?" Finn asked me, annoying me greatly. "How many times have you betrayed one of us for Klaus? How many times have you worked only for yourself? You are no better than he is."

"Nor are you!" I spat. "You're whiny and annoying with your morals and hatred of what we are. I do take Klaus' side more than I take yours because he is usually right or I will benefit from it. There's nothing wrong with trying to protect yourself or enjoying what I am and enjoying power. Now take the dagger out!"

"Take it out yourself!" Rebekah snapped. "You are meant to be powerful too, so prove it."

Before I could respond, a door opened. I tried to turn around, but I couldn't because there was a dagger stuck in my bloody spinal cord! From everyone's reactions, it was someone they hadn't expected to see ever again. That just made me even more interested, but I still couldn't move.

"Mother?" I heard Rebekah ask.

Someone walked past me and towards Klaus. I looked up and saw Esther herself. Her blue-grey eyes were focused on Klaus and her blonde hair fell neatly down her back. She was average height and tan with a slightly muscular build, which wasn't unusual among viking women.

My immediate thought was that she was here to kill Klaus and maybe me. I mean, I probably could've stopped her death, but I didn't. I allowed Klaus to storm off, even though he was clearly furious and was going to do something stupid.

"Look at me!" Esther commanded. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"You're here to kill me," Klaus whispered, fear clear in his voice and tears in his eyes.

"Niklaus, you are my son and I am here to forgive you," she revealed. "I want us to be a family again."


	2. Suspicion and Family

Esther had just told Klaus that she wanted us all to be a family, and everyone seemed to be happy and surprised. I don't think any of them had the brains to be suspicious, apart from Elijah, who seemed to be thinking about something. Of course, I couldn't properly see from the floor.

Everyone hugged Esther and seemed to forget that I was on the floor, with a dagger keeping me there because it was in my spinal cord and was paralyzing me. I focused on the metal that I could feel in my spine and took a deep breath. Slowly, I began to use what little magic I had to remove it from my back. No one noticed, yet again, as I hissed in pain.

When Esther turned to look in my direction, she sort of looked stunned. It was either because someone had literally stabbed me in the back or because I was using some sort of magic to remove the dagger. It was a bit difficult to tell from _the floor_.

After a minute or so, the dagger was out of my back and I hissed louder than before. I didn't move as my back healed, or I'd have to re-stab myself in the exact same place and that was never fun. To amuse myself, I played with the dagger.

I got to my feet and realized that everyone had moved into another room. I angrily muttered to myself as I went to go find them and discovered that they were all having a lovely chat in what I assumed was one of the many living rooms. Everyone looked at me as I walked in, the dagger in my right hand.

"A little help would've been _lovely_ ," I told them, throwing the dagger down, onto the table.

Deciding to act on impulse, I sped forward and snapped Finn's neck. Esther gasped and ran over to her eldest son, despite the fact that she knew he was fine. Klaus and Kol were not surprised, Elijah seemed to be indifferent and Rebekah was furious.

"Thalia!" Esther snapped. "One of the agreements of you staying here will be that you can not do that again. We are here to live in peace and if we cannot love and care for each other then how can we try to keep ourselves safe and make ourselves seem human?"

"He literally stabbed me in the back," I defended. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I wish to go to bed."

I turned on my heel and stalked off. No one tried to follow me, which I was thankful for. I was too tired for this crap.

It had been twelve hours since I snapped Finn's neck and he still wasn't over it. He had been the one to literally stab me in the back, but I got over it with ease. His problem was that he was weak and didn't know how to fight. I never understood why Mikael thought Klaus was so weak when Finn was there too.

Everyone else was over it and didn't care. Finn would just hold onto the grudge for another 900 years or maybe one, seeing how he would end up back in his coffin soon enough. If Klaus didn't put him there then I would. Not like I cared.

Right now I was dancing and singing along to the song Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. The Greatest Hits album was playing, so I could listen to the best of his songs and have a fun time. I knew them all off by heart and had been to at least ten of his concerts.

Kol walked in and gave me an odd look, then my music turned off. I spun to saw who it was and found Finn glaring at me. I sighed dramatically and rolled my eyes. I turned off bluetooth on my phone, which was on the table. It was connected to the speakers and I knew that Finn would go for that next.

"Mother is trying to concentrate," Finn told us, annoyed. "Your music is terrible and distracting."

"This song is a _classic,_ " I retaliated, partially offended. "Just because you weren't around to listen to Bon Jovi doesn't mean you get to be jealous. Catch up with the times and maybe you'd understand."

Finn rushed towards me, but stopped himself. Even if Kol wouldn't join me, I could take him easily. He had been rusting in a box for 900 years and I had not been stabbed in the heart by one of the daggers before. That, and I had always been stronger than him.

Making a smart decision, he walked out of the room and left me be. Kol handed me an unopened bottle of bourbon, so I opened it and drunk a quarter of the bottle in one go. It had stopped burning my throat years ago, so I handed it back to Kol, turned the music back on and went back to having a dance party.

"I'm guessing you're still angry about what happened last night," Kol said, taking a seat.

" _Oh yeah_ ," I confirmed. "All I did was keep myself alive. I tried. I did, but I didn't want to end up in a box with the rest of you. Self-preservation and fun is what I live for, Kol. When you all turned against me, it reminded me of my childhood. They all ganged up against me too, and I thought you knew that."

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _Hunter, Eric, Alistair, Lucas, Astrid, Lili and I were all sitting at the dinner table. Mother and Father were outside, talking something over. When they came back in, I made sure that I ate as cleanly and lady-like as possible, so I did not get into any trouble._

 _My siblings were all older than me and they all seemed to hate me at times, apart from Hunter. Once we had all finished our dinner, we were sent outside to play. Hunter and I were using the sticks as swords and Eric was cheering us on._

 _Eric had always been nice to me. His black hair was shoulder-length and dead-straight. It framed his pale face and made his purple eyes really stand out. He was handsome, but Mother refused to allow him to find a suitor until he was at least fifteen, which will be in three years._

 _Hunter, my twin brother, looked a lot like me. We had the same pale skin and bright purple eyes with wavy black hair. We were both average height and had been told that we would look exactly like each other if we were both boys or both girls._

 _Alistair, who was eleven, had olive skin and a bright smile. His hair was dark brown and looked black in the right light. His eyes were a purple-grey colour, depending on the light. He was tall and handsome as well as muscular._

 _Lucas was the eldest son at thirteen. He was tall and lean with dark brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. His eyes were an intense, dark purple and somehow matched his slightly tanned skin and devilishly charming looks._

 _Lili was a year older than me, making her seven. She had long, blonde hair and violet eyes. Her skin was almost as pale as mine and she was actually quite short. Something about her said that she was both cute and dangerous, depending on her mood._

 _Astrid was the eldest of all of us. She was tall and pretty at fourteen and was not to be messed with. Her blonde hair was perfectly wavy and neat, and her purple eyes were dark, hateful and dangerous. She may be pretty, but she was horrible to us all. She thought she was above us all and I hated it, even at six._

 _"Thalia! Hunter!" Father snapped. Using his magic, the sticks flew out of our hands and to the ground at least ten metres away. "You fools! Someone could get hurt! What did you think you were doing? Both of you are banned from seeing each other for a week! You will be punished for this!"_

 _Father hit Hunter, which infuriated me. Mother and my siblings were here now. My mother refused to tell my father not to hit Hunter, as she thought it was fair. Astrid did not care, Lili was frightened and it was clear that Eric wanted to step forward, but was too afraid._

 _"Thalia, no!" Eric shouted._

 _Eric reached for me, but it was too late and his arm hit an invisible shield. As Father kicked Hunter, the stick that I had been holding flew into my right hand. Before anyone could notice or stop me, I raised the stick and brought it down on Father's back._

 _When Father took a step back and swung, I hit him in the side before he could get too close. I glanced at Hunter as Eric picked him up and carried him away. Father had stumbled, so I spun and tried to hold the stick properly._

 _Father reached out, grabbed the stick and pulled it back. I flew forward and fell to my knees. There was a dark look in his eyes as he kicked me in the ribs. I fell back, but pushed myself to my feet. The men of the village hated weakness among other men, but when they see that a six year old girl is strong then maybe they will think of men and women as equals._

 _I knew that my father was a powerful warlock and that my mother was a powerful witch, but they did not scare me. Even at six I knew that I would be more powerful than them and my siblings. I could be one of the most powerful magic users to ever walk the earth, with power as strong as mine._

 _A wave of air almost hit me, but just before it did, I knew to block it. Father was surprised, which amused me. However, it was a good distraction, as Father got close again and knocked me over. He pressed his left foot into my ribs, stopping me from moving without doing damage._

 _"Little girls like you have no power here," Father stated, coldly. "Your siblings are going to show you or they will face worse consequences than you."_

 _Father removed his foot and I braced myself, knowing that pain would soon be inflicted on me. All of my siblings knew to kick me as hard as they could, or Father would do it for them and then beat them. I took the pain, but screamed and cried._

 *****END OF FLASHBACK*****

"Right," Kol said, sheepishly. "We all forgot. Being locked in a box does make you focus on other things when you're finally freed. Like revenge."

"Instead of focusing on when we were kids, you should teach me about all of these new things," Kol said. "Like the box that played music and the device that lets you speak to other people by putting it to your ear."

"The box is called a speaker and the device is a phone. Maybe we should sit down and discuss this."

I had explained to Kol what every electronic device out was and had caught him up with technology. He had asked what watching the television was like, so we were now having a Doctor Who marathon. No one had walked into the room yet, which surprised me. You would think that someone would take some interest in what was going on.

My head was resting in Kol's lap as we watched the ninth doctor be an actual sass king. I had shown him how to use a laptop and we had read over all of the episodes from the first doctor to the end of the seventh doctor. Then we had started from the eighth doctor so we weren't sitting down for at least four days.

We were on the last episode of the season and we were almost at the end of the episode. We were at the part where Rose was Bad Wolf and Eccleston kisses her to allow her to live. As Eccleston's doctor regenerated into Tennant's, Kol made a sad sound.

"I liked that one," Kol complained. "They could've given the eighth doctor an actual story too."

"What are you two doing?" Klaus asked, walking into the room. "Were you watching Doctor Who?" For a moment it was silent. "That doesn't matter, actually. Mother wants to speak to us all."

Kol, Klaus and I all walked into the dining room together. As we walked in, everyone turned to look at us, clearly jealous of how badass we looked in a group. We were all wearing casual clothes, but we looked really badass because we are.

Finn glared at me, especially as I poured myself a glass of bourbon and downed it in one go. After pouring myself another drink, I sat down with everyone else. Esther watched me, concerned, but I just ignored her looks.

We all sat there, waiting for Rebekah. She got here slowly, but no one questioned her. When she took her seat, Elijah walked in and we were ready to begin. Esther glanced around at us all, clearly knowing that the most dangerous supernatural people in the world were all gathered in the same room. It was a recipe for disaster and it excited me.

"We are going to hold a ball this Friday," Esther informed us all, getting straight to the point.

"Sorry, what?" Klaus asked, confused. "Did you say that we are holding a ball in three days? Do you really expect it all to be ready in three days?"

"Yes," Esther confirmed. "If you know anyone in this town then bring them as a date. We need to make a good impression and this is how we're going to do it. This town needs to know that we are here and are going to be peaceful."

"Yeah, no," I said, taking a sip of bourbon. "First of all, the Salvatore brothers will come and I've slept with both of them. Second, the doppelgänger will be here and I can't promise that I'll keep her alive until the end of the night. Third, most people would just throw a party where a bunch of under-age teenagers drink cheap beer until they pass out and no one really complains."

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Finn agreed.

"No one gets a say," Esther told us. "You all have to attend. You have no choice."

Everyone exchanged looks as I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically. I drunk the rest of my bourbon like a shot and then got up. After pouring myself another glass, I turned to face everyone else. I could feel their eyes on me and it was annoying me.

"Well, I'm going to go and look through my dresses because I don't want to go shopping for a dress that I'll only wear once," I announced, sipping my bourbon. "Have fun with the whole planning thing. I have no interest in it, so I'm leaving."

I walked out of the room with the whole bottle of bourbon and went to go and find a dress to wear to the ball on Friday. I was not excited.

As I danced around my room, I could hear people walking down the hall. I ignored them because the door was shut and if they wanted me to turn it down then they could do the smart thing and close their own goddamn door. Sometimes even vampires forget to use their brains.

Someone walked in as I sung the chorus of When You Were Young by The Killers. I ignored them as I danced around the room, acting dramatic and really getting into it. Hopefully whoever had walked in had left as the song was almost over.

"What are you doing?" Klaus asked sounding confused.

"What are _you_ doing?" I replied, unsure of what else to say.

"I came to see if you'd found a dress or not. I'm going to guess that you didn't, as you would have told someone. Do not go shopping, as I have a dress that I am going to give you. It will be here tomorrow. Goodnight, Thalia."

Klaus then walked out of my room and I went back to singing and dancing. I was going to have a really fun time and focus solely on that...


	3. Ballroom Blitz

Today, I had been out looking for nice shoes to wear with the dress that Klaus was going to buy me. As I didn't know what it would look like, I bought ten pairs of heels. Then I also bought a new necklace, just in case.

When I got home and went to my room, there was a beautiful dress laying on the bed. It was red and sort of plain, but elegant. It was strapless with a heart-shaped neckline and where it dipped in a bit, you could see silver jewels. It was one of those dressed that could be flawless or plain, depending on the jewellery worn with it.

Thankfully, one pair of my heels were simple black stilettos. The dress almost touched the ground, so it would look nice. Then I moved over to my jewellery boxes and began to look at what I had. I had quite a bit to choose from, considering the fact that I preferred a casual look.

After a decent ten minutes, I decided on a diamond necklace that looked exquisite, a diamond leaf upper-arm cuff, a diamond clasp bracelet and my three rings. The first ring was my lapis lazuli ring, the second was a plain silver ring that once belonged to my mother, and the third was my black diamond ring. I wanted to wear my mother's necklace, which had the family's emblem on it, but it did not match

Then I moved into the bathroom to sort out my hair and make-up. I ended up curling my hair, which did look quite nice, especially since my hair is naturally straight. After that, I somehow managed to perfect winged eyeliner, which is always an accomplishment. Then I put on some red lipstick and was ready to go.

I walked out of my room and headed to the stairs. People were here by now, as I had been running a bit late. A lot of people turned to watch me as I walked down the stairs. I gave my best 'pretty and important' look, which seemed to help a bit.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Damon Salvatore walked over to me. I gave him my best smile as I walked over to meet him. He looked quite nice in a suit and it was sort of attractive. The look that was plastered over his face was one of surprise and interest.

"Hello, Mr. Salvatore," I greeted, smiling at him.

"Evening, Miss Ashwood," Damon replied. "You look beautiful this evening."

"You don't look too bad yourself," I said, then laughed. "No offense, but you wouldn't come over to this ball unless you wanted something or something was going to go down that concerns either you, your brother or Elena. So, why are you here?"

Damon laughed and went to walk off, but I calmly grabbed his arm. He turned around, clearly annoyed with me now. It was clear that he wanted to walk off because I don't have the information he wants, but now he had information that _I_ want and I'm going to get it.

We stood there for a few seconds, glaring each other down. I actually forgot that I was holding his arm, but I wasn't that surprised when he pulled it away. His arm fell to his side, but at least Damon now knew not to try and walk away.

"Why is Elena going to be here?" I asked, trying to sound polite. "Klaus and Rebekah sure as hell didn't invite her, Elijah agreed to keep her out of the line of fire, Kol doesn't give a damn about her and Finn only does what Esther tells him..." I paused, really thinking about what I had just said. "Esther wants to speak to her, doesn't she. That can't happen."

"Finally someone's thinking!" Damon exclaimed. "Stefan agrees with Elena on the fact that she should be able to speak to Esther. You could talk to him and convince him not to let her, right?"

"I would, but I have better things to do," I half-lied. "Klaus is looking for me, so I should go."

I turned and walked off, very quickly. Thankfully, Damon didn't follow me because Klaus wasn't looking for me. In fact, no one would be. They would all assume that I was getting drunk somewhere and trying to find a cute boy to flirt with.

Although I did have better things to do, that required leaving town to actually do them. I just left because I don't trust Esther and I don't trust Damon to keep his mouth shut. If I told him about my distrust towards Esther, he might tell the stupid doppelgänger wench and she would tell Esther for sure.

Whatever Esther was planning, I would get to the bottom of it. After your son killing you and having to watch your children kill people and destroy whole towns for the fun of it or because of something quite small, you wouldn't want to really be a family. Personally, I would want all my children dead to stop the suffering of my kind and others.

As I walked past a waiter, I grabbed a glass of champagne. My new goal was to find Elijah, as he is just as suspicious as I am. While he was figuring out what Esther was up to, I would be drinking and finding a cute guy to flirt with.

When I finally found Elijah, he was sitting in the library. He seemed to be nervous and a bit stressed. As soon as he saw me, his emotions changed and he smiled at me. Elijah was clearly trying not to seem suspicious.

"Damon told me that Esther wants to talk to Elena," I informed him, getting straight to the point. "I would investigate it myself, but I'd be the first suspect if something happened. Her moral, responsible son is not as sketchy."

"Fine," Elijah agreed. "I just thought that the trained assassin would be a better choice."

"That was when I was young," I pointed out. "Too much has changed since then. We have guns now and better antidotes and good ways to find out who did it. That, and I'm a bit out of practice."

"You were out of practice when you saved my mother, but it didn't matter."

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _As I walked through the village I now lived in, I sensed someone staring at me. My training had drilled it into me that I shouldn't turn around unless I knew they were right behind me, so I walked over to Klaus and looked around. I saw no one, which was odd._

 _Klaus, Elijah and Kol were all playing with sticks, acting as if they were swords. Mikael would be furious if they were actual weapons or if I joined in, so I just watched them. The main thing that made Mikael angry was that I could beat even him, as I am a trained assassin._

 _After stopping a year ago, when Esther and Mikael took me in, I was out of practice for sure. I still remembered everything, but I was a bit rusty. I had not held a sword since six moons ago and I hadn't used a poison since I came here._

 _That feeling of someone watching me came back as Esther walked outside. When I looked around, not moving where I was standing, I saw no one again. Then I turned to look at Klaus and looked around him. Nothing. I guess another assassin was here, finishing what I was meant to start._

 _I had to hide my worry, or whoever they were would know. Kol took out Klaus and was then taken out by Elijah. All three boys looked at me, expectantly. I wanted to join them, but should I risk it? It's not like Mikael could actually hurt me._

 _"Thalia?" Elijah asked, hopefully._

 _I picked up the fourth stick and spun it around. I knew that the game would start and that all they would take Kol out first and then try to go for me. Sometimes I wished that we could play it in teams, so it would be a bit more fair._

 _"We should play in teams," I suggested. "Kol and I against the two of you. Is that fair?"_

 _Everyone agreed and within seconds, we began. As I had expected, Klaus and Elijah tried to take us both at the same time, but then focused on Kol. Elijah went to strike him from behind, but I protected my teammate. We were in this together._

 _Kol was better with magic than with swords, where I was the opposite. I used to be a powerful witch, for a six year old. Of course, that's when I was taken to become an assassin. By the time I was ten, I was fluent in all known languages and was an expert on poisons, fighting and weapons and was forced to finally do my job._

 _I took out Elijah first, then helped Kol stop Klaus. It was all surprisingly easy. They had trained, but I had to be good at what I do or I would be dead. Everything I did showed that women are equal to men in every aspect._

 _Before either Kol or I could swing our sticks, I tackled him to the ground. A dart flew past and would've hit him in the temple, killing him instantly. Instead it flew into Esther, who was hit in the arm. I looked around and saw one of the kids who had been trained after my victories back at the camp. He was good, but I was better._

 _Instead of going after him, I ran to Esther's side. The dart itself was poisonous to the touch. Klaus went to pull it out, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him away. I dropped to my knees as Mikael reached his wife._

 _"Esther!" He exclaimed._

 _"No one touch the dart or go into the woods!" I commanded, loudly. "Elijah, the men respect you so I need you to tell them not to go into the woods until I say so. They'll be killed by the person who did this if they do."_

 _"What the hell happened?!" Mikael asked, furiously. "Why do you get to call the shots?"_

 _"A kid who I grew up with did this," I explained. "Mikael, get me the vervain from the White Ash tree! Now!" Mikael did what I commanded and ran off, just as Rebekah came over with tears in her eyes. "Rebekah, I need you to get me one of Esther's grounding bowls. Klaus, bring me fresh water and pick the red leaves that are next to the water so I can make a paste." Klaus and Rebekah ran off. That left Kol. "Bring me the best spell for isolating poison or the strongest healing spell."_

 _As all of the Mikaelson's ran off, I heard someone moving behind me. I grabbed a rock and stood. As I stood, I spun and was ready to beat whoever it was with a rock. I paused when I saw Tatia behind me. I lowered the rock and let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding._

 _"Is there something I can do?" She asked._

 _I hated Tatia. She was breaking Klaus' heart and he was the one who convinced Esther to let me stay here. While Klaus fought for her, she was off kissing Elijah and then doing the same to him. However, there was one last thing I needed._

 _"Bring me the thickest piece of cloth you can find and a branch from the tree in the middle of the village so I can heal her," I instructed. "Run!"_

 _Esther had maybe an hour, if we didn't move her. It would take everyone almost an hour to get back here with what I needed, seeing how she had come out to the far side of the village. Rebekah had been watching her brothers and I fight and Mikael had been getting wood, so he was nearby._

 _She was starting to stir, as the first thing the poison did was knock you out. We only used one poison in our darts, thankfully. It killed people quickly, but not horribly, or we would surely get caught. Usually one of us took it out so the victim just thought they had passed out._

 _"Keep your eyes shut," I instructed. "You've been poisoned and you'll die quicker if you move. I can stop it. I just need time."_

 _Tatia, Kol and Rebekah were the first ones back. Mikael and Elijah were the next ones back. That left Klaus, who came back right after his father and second-eldest brother. I had no clue where Finn was, but it wasn't important right now._

 _I put the vervain and Klaus' leaves into the grounding bowl and then handed it to Rebekah. She knew to ground it to a fine paste, which was good. Then I picked up the branch of the White Ash tree and broke it, so one part was really sharp._

 _Then I pressed the sharp part of the stick to where the dart was and grabbed the dart with the other hand, ensuring that the cloth was over it. I pressed the stick into the wound and then started to wiggle the dart out, very gently. Thankfully Esther had passed out again._

 _Once the dart was out, blood began to trickle from Esther's wound. It would get worse soon, so I took the grounding bowl of Rebekah and poured a bit of water into it. It absorbed the moisture, so I slathered it onto Esther's wound. It would stop the bleeding, pull out the splinters from the wood and hopefully draw out the poison._

 _"Kol, hand me the spell and help me out," I said, pulling him down so he was on his knees next to me._

"Asinta Mulaf Hinto, Sho Bala," _I chanted, focusing on taking the pain from Esther. Then I changed my focus to removing the poison._ "Ecce ego obducam eis veneni."

 _Despite my worries, I could feel the poison fading and seeping into the paste. When it was all gone from her blood stream, Esther awoke and I removed the paste. There was two rocks next to me, so I crushed what was left of the paste and got rid of it for good._

 *****END FLASHBACK*****

"I'm really out of practice now," I insisted. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I'm sure there's someone here who knows nothing about me, but is willing to actually speak to me."

I'd met Mayor Lockwood, a young man named Will and a few others tonight. Elena and her friends were here, but thankfully not together. If they were, I'd probably cry or kill them. It all depends on how I feel when I see them together.

One of Elena's friends was here, so I was going to talk to her. She was Klaus' date to the ball, so I had to get to know her or I'd be wary of her and seemingly jealous. Well, at least that's what Klaus says. I'm usually just being protective.

"Hello," I said, greeting her. "I'm Thalia Ashwood."

Klaus' date was definitely beautiful in the dress he'd bought her. It was a beautiful blue and silver ball gown that complimented her blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes. She's tall and slim, yet toned and athletic. From the way she carried herself, I could tell that she was kind and popular.

"I'm Caroline," she replied, clearly confused as to why I was talking to her.

"Well, Caroline, it's lovely to meet you," I told her, trying to seem pleasant and polite. "Are you enjoying the ball that my step-mother insisted on?"

"Step-mother?" Caroline was confused and took a step back. Before she could fall, I caught her arm. "So, you know what I am and you're a vampire too?"

"An Original, actually. When was the last time you killed someone?"

"When I was a newly turned vampire, no one thought I would die so they weren't there for me. I killed a man who I didn't even know. That was about a year ago and I haven't killed since."

"It's good to know that someone here can control their bloodlust. You seem really nice, Caroline. Don't get caught up in my family's drama or the inevitable death that follows the doppelgänger. If you aren't a casualty, everyone you love will be."

Thankfully, Elijah called for us all to gather so I didn't have to explain anything else to Caroline. Before she could stop me or say anything, I walked over to the stairs. Elijah signalled for me to walk up to the stairs and kept waving me over until I was standing next to him.

He nudged me forward and then moved back and down a few stairs. Klaus, Rebekah, Kol and Finn all looked at me expectantly. Everyone that was gathered in front of the stairs looked up at me. I assumed I had to address the crowd.

Instead of panicking and backing down, I made sure that I seemed confident, collected, important and pretty. If I messed this up, I would be embarrassed for the rest of my life. Elena, Damon and Stefan all glared at me, which motivated me further.

"Welcome," I greeted, calmly. "Thank you for joining us. Whenever my Esther brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance." Esther walked down the stairs and looked at the guests, clearly trying to seem intimidating and succeeding. "Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

Everyone managed to find a partner, miraculously. Klaus and Caroline were dancing together, Damon and Elena were together, Matt and Rebekah went with each other and even Stefan was dancing with the mayor. I, however, would just have to observe.

That was when Elijah began to walk over. Somehow, no one had asked to dance with him. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. When he reached me, most people were going to the ballroom. In a minute or so, the music would begin.

"Care to dance, Miss Ashwood?" Elijah requested, holding out his hand.

"Of course, Mister Mikaelson," I agreed, taking his hand.

We walked to the ballroom together and got there as soon as the song started. Both of us could dance, but we weren't the best. Of course, we knew the dance well, but I put a bit of focus into it. For some reason, we avoided eye-contact.

The dance was simple and I enjoyed watching people, as they somehow _all_ knew how to do it. It was what confused me about events like this. How do people know exactly what to do when they don't even know the name of the dance? It's really strange and I don't like it.

"So, I saw you speaking to Caroline," Elijah said. "What is your opinion on her? Is she good for Klaus and is he good for her?"

"She's kind and pretty and could have everything she wants if she tries hard enough," I stated. "Klaus is no good for her and neither is Elena or anyone close to her. Caroline's clearly in control of what she is and I think she could be powerful when she's a bit older."

"Basically, she's what we should've been," Elijah decided. "We should've been in control and kind and have anything we wanted."

"It's not like we asked to be blood-thirsty monsters. We didn't even know that we would become what we are now. I like the power, Elijah, and I like the fact that we'll always be the most powerful of all of our kind."

Before Elijah could argue, I was spun into someone else's arms. I was surprised to see that it was Kol, who looked incredibly bored. He had been dragged out here by some woman who was almost sixty. I suppose he didn't want to seem rude, as Esther would be furious about it.

He was a really good dancer, although he didn't dance much. I suppose that's almost everyone out here, as they all seemed to know what they were doing. Kol just added some elegance to the dance, which surprised a lot of people, including myself.

Kol was so beautiful, but I'd never really felt anything for him, other than strong friendship. We've both mistaken that friendship for lust before, so we slept together. It was great sex, but it didn't feel the way it does when you're in love.

We made eye-contact, but neither of us broke it as we danced. I felt safe in Kol's strong arms for once. He usually would start some kind of banter, but he was quiet tonight. It was as if he were thinking about something that was really important to him.

When the dance ended, I walked off to get a drink. I just needed some bourbon, but all I could drink is wine or champagne. After a quick mental-argument, I decided on the champagne. At least it's fancier than wine.

I'd been wandering around and talking to people here for about two more hours. I was bored and a few times I considered murdering Carol Lockwood, who's the town's mayor. She clearly didn't get the point that I didn't want to talk to her, despite the fact that I had excused myself from every conversation with her so far.

Most of the time I would make friends with the mayor, but this was not one of those times. She was kind, but really annoying. I don't care about how much Klaus donated to the town and I don't care about how nice this ball is. Quite frankly, I may as well have no emotions because I just don't care about what she says or thinks of the Mikaelsons and I.

Matt, who is Elena's friend and Rebekah's date, was very kind. He was handsome and muscular with the All-American look going on. His blonde hair and blue eyes worked well together and his tan skin complimented them too.

Esther was standing in the middle of the staircase and tapped a fork against her glass three times to get everyone's attention. Waiters handed out champagne glasses, so I took one. Mine was tinted pink, so I assumed that because I was a Mikaelson, I was getting better-quality pink champagne.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Esther greeted. "Waiters are coming around with champagne. I invite you all to join me in raising a glass." Esther paused for a few seconds, waiting for the waiters. "It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone, including myself, called back.

Esther's words were so fake it hurt. She'd left her office twice tonight, her speech that she said just then being one of the two times. That, and she didn't care about her family being back together. Not really. I knew she was up to something and it was just a matter of time until I found out what it is.

Everyone went back to what they were doing, so I went for a walk around the rooms where the ball was being held. Rooms like Klaus' art room and the bedrooms were closed off, as they had sentimental things in them and no one wanted to find two horny teenagers going at it in their room. Thankfully, no one tried to talk to me.

After a while, I walked out the front of the house and sat on the steps. The wind blew a cold breeze and I enjoyed it. I can't get hot or cold, but I can feel the weather and the cold feels nice. It feels like snow is kissing my skin or that the breeze is slightly tickling my skin, but not enough to get a response.

As Stefan walked out the doors, Kol and Damon fell from the balcony above us. I rose to my feet, but it was too late. Stefan gripped my shoulder as Damon punched Kol several times before snapping his neck.

"Damon!" Stefan exclaimed, letting me go. "Are you crazy?"

I ran to Kol, pushing Damon aside with what little magic I had and making him stumble and almost fall. Elena and the rest of the Mikaelsons came out as I knelt beside Kol, moving his head so his neck would heal faster and we can cover it up.

"Maybe a little," Damon said, making eye-contact with Elena. "Far be it for me to cause a problem."

Damon ran off before I could get to my feet and snap his neck for Kol or slap him for being an idiot. I felt someone move behind me, but I ignored them as I stayed beside Kol deciding on whether or not I could carry him inside without getting caught.

"What happened here?!" Esther asked, storming over furiously.

"I was sitting on the steps and as Stefan Salvatore walked outside, Kol and Damon came down from the balcony," I explained. "Damon punched Kol a few times and then snapped his neck. I don't know what happened before that. Do you want me to carry Kol inside?"

Esther just nodded and then walked off. Elijah came over and helped me carry his brother inside while Finn followed his mother like a whipped dog. Klaus seemed stunned and Rebekah was nowhere to be seen.

Well, now Esther knows why I didn't want a stupid ball to be held in this house. Something always has to happen to one of us at an event, whether we start it or not...


	4. Betrayal on High

After last night, I was exhausted. I'd crashed in the living room and Klaus, being too lazy to move me to my actual room, just moved me to his art room. When I woke up, I was very confused, but quickly sorted everything out before getting up and going back to my own room.

I had brushed my hair and curled it, then changed into a pair of black jeans with a black shirt that has 'Vicious' written on it and then 10 underneath that, in white. I then matched that with my lapis lazuli ring, the tree necklace that was my mother's and a pair of combat boots.

The necklace was plain silver with a tree in a circle. It was intricately carved, as it was made with magic. Mother had always said that her necklace was a reminder of her magic and her family. The second statement was only true when I killed her, but she used to use the necklace to keep her magic in control.

Mother wasn't the brightest witch or the best. She used expressionism when she was young and almost had her magic stripped, as she couldn't control it. When we were told that, I grinned and then perfected my first healing spell. I used to be such a show-off and I still am.

Stella by All Time Low was playing through my speakers, which were connected to my phone. As soon as I finished getting ready, I stopped the music and gave myself a minute to calm down. Then I left my room and walked down the hall and down the stairs.

When I entered the living room, which I had to pass through to get food from the kitchen for breakfast, I found Kol and Klaus chatting. Kol was already drinking and Klaus was considering it. I went around Kol because I had every intention of returning to the room after breakfast.

Instead of stopping me, Kol and Klaus came to the silent decision that they would follow me. I ignored them as I opened the fridge and pulled out an egg, a carton of milk and butter. Then I went to the pantry and got self-raising flour and sugar.

I made myself two decent-sized pancakes while Kol and Klaus chatted away. Klaus knows not to talk to me when I'm cooking, just in case I get annoyed or forget about the food. It doesn't usually end well. I also enjoy cooking, so I focus on it, but that's not as important when I could potentially burn the house down.

When I was done, I put maple syrup and icing sugar on the pancakes. I grabbed a blood bag, poured the blood into a cup and then took my food into the next room, which housed the dining table. I began to eat my pancakes before I even sat down.

"So, Thalia, how was your night?" Kol asked, sitting next to me.

"It was going quite well, until I walked outside, saw Damon Salvatore kick your ass and then I actually had to carry you inside because he snapped your neck," I told him, bitterly. "Maybe you should work on your fighting skills, because you were beaten by someone who's only been a vampire for 149 years."

"I don't need any advice from you, love," He argued.

I sighed, flicked my wrist and hid my smirk when I made Kol's chair fall backwards. Klaus laughed at his little brother as I washed my pancakes down with blood. Kol got up and picked up his chair, glaring at me the entire time.

He sat down with a grumpy look on his face. Then he took the glass of blood from my hands and drunk it all in one go. Kol would have to do a hell of a lot better than that if he really wanted to annoy me or even get close to it.

"Looks like you do need my help," I told him, smirking. "Klaus, how was your night with Caroline?"

"As bitter as yours was at the end," Klaus replied, getting up and pouring us all a glass of whiskey.

We all took our glasses of whiskey and walked back to the living room. Klaus took the armchair, so Kol and I sat on the couch. Kol's hand was on my thigh and he was drawing circles, knowing that it would get on my nerves.

Klaus looked over and sighed, knowing what would happen next. We all knew what would happen, but Kol and I acted the way we did anyway. I think Kol enjoys it when I turn him on and then leave him high and dry. I think it makes his lust even worse.

Before either of us could start to flirt with the other person, Rebekah walked into the room. Kol moved his hand and picked up his glass of whiskey. I took a sip of mine, as I'd been holding it in the hand that is furthest away from Kol.

"Well, well, well," Kol said, getting up and moving so he was blocking Rebekah's path. "There's our girl."

"Get out of my way, Kol," Rebekah commanded, impatiently.

"Out all night," Kol continued, a smirk plastered on his face. "What a scandal! I trust you did better than that commoner? Matt, was it?"

"If you don't shut your mouth the next thing to come out of it will be your teeth." Klaus and I grinned, so Rebekah shot us death glares. "Don't start!"

"We didn't say anything," Klaus defended, taking a sip of whiskey soon after.

"I'm bored," Kol said, sitting down on the stairs. "Our sister is a strumpet, but at least she's having fun. I need entertainment."

"What are you waiting for?" Klaus questioned. "Go on, have at it."

"It's not fun to go alone. Join me, Nik! It's the least you can do after sticking a dagger in my heart."

"Okay. Why not? I didn't have enough to drink last night, what with you trying to murder Rebekah's date and all."

"Yes, please go, this house has enough men rolling around in it," Rebekah agreed.

"Just like you, Bekah," Kol joked.

Rebekah threw her shoe at Kol, but he stepped out of the way. I laughed, so Rebekah threw the other heel at me. I caught the heel part of the shoes and then placed it on the floor, next to my own feet.

"Good riddance, both of you!" Rebekah exclaimed.

"You coming, Thalia?" Kol asked.

"Of course," I agreed, standing up and finishing my whiskey in one go.

Before I left, Elijah entered the room. We all turned to look at him. He was holding a bit of burned sage, which is normally used in privacy spells. You burn the sage and then spell it so no one can here what you're talking about. I've got a bit of magic back, but not enough for an actual spell like that.

"I'm worried about mother," Elijah announced. "Have you not noticed her strange behaviour?"

"She's been dead for a thousand years," Rebekah said, dismissing any and all thoughts of behaviour that could be considered off. "What's strange for her?"

"Burned sage," I stated, as Elijah lifted the plant. "She was doing a privacy spell."

"You know she fancies such things," Rebekah defended, blindly. "Why don't you ask Finn? He's been doting on her."

"I don't trust Finn," Elijah admitted. "He hates what we are. He always has."

"That's not true," Rebekah denied. "As for mother, she returned for one reason and one reason only: to make our family whole. She loves us. What trouble are you looking to find?"

Rebekah stormed off, leaving Elijah and I in the room together. We exchanged a knowing look before I went after Kol and Klaus, using my vampire speed to catch up with them.

Kol and Klaus had left without me, so I used my heightened speed to run to the Mystic Grill. I was tired when I got there, but the knowledge that I had beat Klaus and Kol here kept me going. As I strolled into the bar, I saw a man that I immediately recognized as Alaric Saltzman.

Klaus had told me all about the vampire hunter-turned-lover. He was Damon's best friend and was also Elena's legal guardian. Alaric was also the High School's history teacher, which must help with being a vampire hunter.

Alaric had the Salt-n-Pepper hair that's common amongst fourty-year-old men who think they're really cool and 'hip'. He has tanned skin, blue eyes and is tall. He is definitely muscular and fit for someone of his age.

He was sitting with a pretty woman, who it looked like was dating Alaric. She had brown eyes and wavy brown hair. From where I was, she looked tall, athletic and thin. Somehow, she was dressed casually but professionally at the same time.

I walked over to them and drew their attention. I made eye-contact with the woman, so Alaric put his arm around her. My immediate instinct was to talk to them and taunt them, so that's what I was going to do.

When I sat down next to them, Alaric sighed. I ordered myself a drink with a little compulsion and when I got it, I turned to face Alaric and his girlfriend. I gave them the brightest smile I could manage, which we all knew was fake.

"You must be Alaric Saltzman," I stated. "Who's your girlfriend."

"I'm Meredith Fell," she told me, clearly having figured out that I was bad news. "Who are you?"

"Ashwood. Thalia Ashwood," I said, doing my best James Bond impression, which everyone tells me is terrible, but I know they're just jealous. "I'm an Original hybrid, just like Klaus, but a different kind. I was expecting you to be fatter and a drunk, Alaric. We just have to work on making you fat and you'll be the person I imagined."

"What do you want?" Alaric asked, annoyed.

"Are you bored of me already?" I questioned, amused. "That's such a shame. I really thought there was a connection there."

"Listen, Thalia, we don't need your kind around here, so go annoy someone else!" Meredith snapped, surprising Alaric.

"Listen, _Meredith_ , I do what I want whenever I want to do it," I informed her, my voice becoming low and dangerous. "So, if I want to annoy you and Alaric, you aren't going to stop me." I stood up and flicked my wrist, making Meredith's drink spill on the bar. "Have a nice day."

I walked away and smiled to myself. That was when two attractive teenage boys, around my age, walked in. They were headed towards the pool table and dart board, so I made sure that I got there first. When they got to the table, they whispered to each other, but I didn't listen to what they were saying.

"Do you mind if we join?" One asked.

"Go for it," I agreed, pulling the darts out of the board. "I'm just waiting for a few friends. I thought that I might give darts a go."

The one who had just spoken to me had short, shaggy brown hair and brown eyes that made me want to melt. He was skinny and pale, but handsome all the same. There was not a lot of muscle on him, but I didn't mind. There was an attractive look to him.

The second guy was oddly familiar. His grey-green eyes shone with a brilliant, happy light and his black hair was pushed back, which looked really sexy. He was tall and slim, yet muscular. Whoever he was, I felt like I knew him and he was handsome, so I hope I didn't screw up whatever we had.

"I'm Thalia," I introduced.

"I'm Carter and this is Hayden," the first guy stated. "Hayden's a pro at darts. He could teach you, if you want."

I know exactly how to play darts and I can hit the centre of the target when I'm drunk, but Hayden was really attractive. That, and I _need_ to know where I remember him from. Klaus will remember him if he is that important, but Klaus will get here in a few minutes and go straight to the bar.

My plan was to pretend that I can't do it one time and then show him how good I really am. If he knows me, he'll show it on his face or his heartbeat will change slightly. I'll be ready to see if he knows what I am and who I am.

"So, basically, you throw the dart at the board," Hayden stated.

"Helpful," I said, annoyed. "I know how to play. If you're a professional then surely you can beat me."

"There's no point," He dismissed, stubbornly.

"Oh, come on," Carter complained. "If Thalia here is good, you'll finally have a bit of competition. If she isn't, you're still the best. It's a win-win situation."

"Fine," Hayden grumbled. "You can go first."

I picked up the red dart and threw it at the board, it hit the centre target, but could be closer. Carter, who all of a sudden had a piece of paper, wrote down the score and then removed the dart from the board. Hayden then threw his dart, which wasn't going to hit the centre. It suddenly moved and hit the board in the very centre.

Hayden just smirked and then turned to look at Carter, who was grinning at him. Carter had set up the pool table, so Hayden took two sticks and threw one at me. I caught it instantly, but no one thought anything of it.

"Whoever loses has to buy the drinks," Carter insisted, cockily.

I grinned and Hayden scoffed. Carter broke the triangle, but nothing really happened after that. Hayden then sunk three balls in a row before missing a shot, thanks to my magic. He seemed confused and annoyed, but all of his shots had been off, but had sunk anyway.

When it was my turn, I sunk five in a row, just to be stopped by Hayden. My shot was on point, but it moved right before it could go into the hole. Hayden scoffed and it became my goal to beat him.

It went back to Carter's go and he managed to sink two balls without magic or heightened senses. I knew he wasn't a vampire or a werewolf because I would sense it if he was and he wasn't using magic or he'd be doing a lot better. Carter was just a human, who probably didn't even know his friend has magic.

By the end of the game, Carter had sunk three balls, I had sunk seven and Hayden had sunk five. I had won, which Hayden wasn't happy about, but Carter congratulated me on my win and walked off, to buy us all a glass of lemonade.

Klaus and Kol musn't of actually left when I went looking for them, as they weren't here yet. Maybe they had gotten changed so they looked half-decent. Or maybe they took a detour. Who knows with those two.

"Tell me," I stepped closer to Hayden, "what are you? You can't be human because you manipulated those shots, but if you were a vampire or a werewolf, they would be perfect."

"Wouldn't you like to know," he muttered. "If you tell me how old you are, I'll tell you what I am. You look like you could be seventeen or twenty-three."

"Fine," I agreed, quietly. "I'm 17 or 1019. Whichever you prefer."

"You're an Original. I knew something was off, but I just assumed it's your magic... Wait! How do you have any magic?"

"I'm a hybrid. It's not necessarily the normal kind of magic."

Carter came over, so we went quiet. I took my drink and sipped it. That was when Klaus and Kol walked into the Mystic Grill. Kol winked at me and both boys saw it, but neither of them said anything. Hayden could probably sense that Klaus and Kol are Originals too and Carter just brushed off their presence.

Klaus and Kol sat down and Hayden looked at me, clearly waiting for me to say or do something. I just sighed and took another sip of my drink. Carter was checking his phone with a cocky grin on his face. I wanted to know what he was looking at, but I didn't at the same time.

"I should probably go and join my friends," I said. "It was nice meeting you."

I walked off, towards Klaus and Kol. I sat between them and Alaric, which was a tad bit awkward. Klaus bought me a glass of bourbon and we all started to drink.

We'd been here for about two hours and had drunk at least twenty glasses of alcohol each. Klaus and Kol were tipsy, but I was fine. Hayden and Carter were still here, but they were with a large group of popular teenage guys. I could tell they were popular because of how they were talking when I listened in.

Caroline walked into the Grill and immediately caught Klaus' attention. The group of teenage boys all turned to look at her, but Carter reminded them all that she was dating someone named Tyler and they immediately lost interest. She looked really pretty today.

"I remember her from last night," Kol said, gesturing to Caroline. "She looks like a tasty little thing."

"Say another word and I'll tear out your liver," Klaus warned. "Caroline!"

"Oh, it's you," she muttered.

"Join us for a drink?" Klaus asked.

"I'd rather die of thirst, but thanks." Caroline then walked off and I laughed.

"Isn't she stunning?"

"She certainly looks good walking away from you," Kol agreed.

"I'll take that as a challenge," Klaus decided.

Klaus then got up and walked after Caroline. Kol spotted Meredith and then looked at me. We came to a silent agreement and stood up. He went after Meredith and I was going to get Hayden's number, no matter what it took.

By the time I reached Hayden and his friends, Klaus was gone. There was about six more of them, so I didn't pay them any attention. Carter smiled at me, so I smiled back, and Hayden grumbled. He clearly wasn't happy with having to associate himself with me right now.

All six new guys stared at me as I walked over, making sure I was acting as if I knew how hot I am. Well, after 1000 years I know how attractive I am, but even I still judge myself. No matter how much time you have, sometimes you can never truly love how you look.

"Hello boys," I said, ensuring that you could hear my English accent clearly.

"Who are you?" One guy asked, clearly interested in me. "I'm Luke."

"Thalia Ashwood," I told him, calmly, resting my hand on Hayden's shoulder as I sat down next to him.

"We're going to give you two some privacy," Carter announced.

All of the guys, apart from Hayden, got up and walked off. One of them whispered something in his ear and they both laughed. Then Hayden and I were left alone, sitting next to each other. This time he did act as if he was interested in me, although he clearly wasn't.

Hayden smiled at me, and it surprisingly wasn't forced. Maybe he was physically attracted to me, but I'm a vampire and he's a witch. It never ends well. Someone always gets hurt or dies. I've made the mistake with a werewolf. Vampires should stick to their own kind.

"What do you want?" Hayden asked, keeping the now-fake smile. "How clear could I make it that I don't want to be around you. Your kind are bad for people like me."

"Believe me, I know," I agreed. "We are bad for everyone who isn't like us. At least, that's what everyone tells me. You start to believe it after a while, whether it's true or not."

"Your friends are Originals too, aren't they?" Hayden guessed. "You might want to tell the one who went after Caroline that she's taken. It's not like she would date someone like him, anyway."

Suddenly a sharp pain pierced my heart. I slumped forward, but Hayden caught me and slowly sat me back up. He was genuinely concerned for me now, which is sweet, but I needed to find out why I was in pain.

When I looked around for Kol, he was gone. The Salvatore brothers have a dagger, so if they gave it to Alaric then they have Kol. I have to help him! I can't let them hurt him, but why is it hurting me too?

"Help me outside," I insisted, getting up, despite the pain.

Hayden helped me move over to the door as quickly as we could go. We exited the side door, where I saw Kol with a dagger in his heart. Alaric had dragged him out and the Salvatore brothers were waiting for them.

I could hear Klaus moving this way, so when he got close, I moved out of the shadows. Alaric was the closest, so I threw him against a wall as Klaus took the dagger out of Kol's heart. Hayden stepped near me, but I waved him back. I'd only just met him. He didn't need to get caught up in this.

Stefan went after Klaus and Damon came towards me as soon as I threw Alaric against the wall. Klaus had time to react, but I didn't. That was when Damon dropped to his knees in pain and Hayden decided to reveal himself to everyone.

"I should've killed you two months ago," Klaus decided, grabbing Damon too.

Hayden stopped his spell and came to my side. We stood together, watching everything unfold right in front of us. It was actually quite interesting, despite the fact that I knew what would happen. Klaus would go to kill one of the brothers and someone or something would stop him.

"Do it," Damon insisted. "It's not going to stop Esther from killing you."

"What did you say about my mother?" Klaus asked, furiously.

"You didn't know I was friends with your mummy?" Damon asked, taunting both Klaus and I. "Yeah, we have a lot in common. She hates you both as much as I do."

Klaus went to attack Damon, but Elijah appeared. It was like one of those soap operas where there was a new plot twist every episode and if something was finally resolved, there would be another issue right after that. Great. My life is like the Australian soap opera Neighbours.

"Leave him!" Elijah commanded. "We still need them, Niklaus."

"What did mother do?" Klaus asked, both hurt and angry. "What did she do, Elijah?"

Elijah walked towards Damon, ignoring Klaus completely. Hayden stepped behind me a bit, as Elijah came closer. He clearly knew what we could do now and probably knew some of the terrible things we have all done in the past. Most warlocks and witches know.

I noticed a phone in Elijah's hand and became curious. Why would Elijah have it out? Was his leverage a video or something? What was going on? How is this so confusing and interesting at the same time?

"You tell me where the witches are or I'll have my sister kill Elena right now," Elijah threatened Damon.

"You told me we had until after nine," Damon complained.

"I'm sure Rebekah will be more than happy to start her work early," Elijah pointed out. He then looked at me. "Say goodbye to your friend. We have to go."

Elijah turned away to get the place off Damon or Stefan, so I led Hunter back to where the door was. He was surprised and excited as well as nervous, which was a set of emotions that most people got when they saw the Originals in the same place. Who wouldn't? We're a group of powerful, beautiful immortal vampires.

"Thank you for your help," I said, quietly. "You didn't have to help me, but you did." I pulled a pen out of Hayden's back pocket, accidentally touching his ass in the process. I wrote my number on his hand. "It's my number, of course. Call me if you need anything or just want to hang out. Maybe not tonight, but any other time is good."

Hayden smiled and took the pen back before I walked off. Kol was awake again, so he put his arm over my shoulders and we walked off. Hopefully Hayden and I could become friends without anything going wrong. It would be nice if that happened for once.

Klaus, Kol, Elijah and I had all gone back to the mansion in Klaus' car. Elijah and I had run here, so we couldn't go in a different car. That meant that Klaus and Kol had to listen to us talking about the fact that our suspicions were right.

We didn't go straight to the witch house, which had been burned down with a bunch of witches in it. No, we went home first. Klaus wanted to look nice for his funeral, I guess. It's not like anyone's going to miss us if we die. We're all terrible to everyone.

After Klaus and Kol had changed and I had decided to put on my new leather jacket, we finally left. Kol and Klaus went in Klaus' car, which looked like something a soccer-mum with a husband in the mafia would own. Elijah came with me, in my new Maserati.

When we were all outside of the woods, Klaus decided that we should take a leisurely stroll. Finally, after getting near the site of our potential deaths, the sun was down and the moon wouldn't be up by the time we got there. Esther would start to worry soon, which I assume is what Klaus wanted.

All of us looked badass in black. Kol and I took the lead with Elijah on the right and Klaus on the left. As soon as Esther saw us, she would know that we mean business and are not going to go down without a good fight. Maybe I can use a bit of magic to stop her.

"They're coming, Mother!" Finn announced, as we got very close.

"No, it's too soon, the moon is not high enough," Esther said, worrying. "Go! Quickly!"

As Kol, Elijah, Klaus and I moved through the trees, Esther turned to face us. She looked as if she was ready to see us die, and I have no doubt that she was. Esther would see us all die and claim that she did good and stopped the evil that she created. She would claim it was to help the balance.

"Come forward," Esther instructed, unsurprised about the fact that we came.

"Stay beside me, Mother," Finn insisted.

"It's okay," Esther reassured him. "They can't enter."

"That's lovely," Kol said, sarcastically. You could tell from how he stood that he wasn't amused. "We're stuck our here, while the favourite son plays sacrificial lamb. How pathetic you are, Finn."

"Be quiet, Kol," Esther chided, trying to act motherly. "Your brother knows virtue you cannot even begin to imagine."

"Whatever you think of us, killing your own children will be an atrocity," Elijah stated, trying to take the moral way out.

"My only regret is that I did not let you die a thousand years ago," Esther told us.

"You say that, but you were the one to make us what we are," I said, calmly. "We've embraced what you made us, thinking that was what you wanted for us. Even if you kill us, you'll forever be known as the witch who created vampires. You'll forever be known as an atrocity, especially when you kill at least a million people, just to undo what _you_ consider wrong-doing. Esther, you'll never be better than us and neither will your precious Finn, sacrificing himself to kill his own siblings."

"That's rich, coming from someone who killed people for a living when they were a child!" Esther blurted out, furiosly. "Even if you become human, you'll still be a monstrosity. You claim to be intelligent and true, but you aren't. You're just a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to better herself."

I guess I'll be seeing you in hell then," I replied, laughing despite my surprise and hurt. "Have fun trying to get away when I take my throne back."

"Enough!" Klaus interrupted, bored of our bickering. "All this talk is boring me. End this now, Mother, or I'll send you back to hell."

"For a thousand years, I've been forced to watch you," Esther informed us. "Felt the pain of every victim, suffered while you shed blood. Even you, Elijah, with your claim to nobility, you're no better. All of you. You're a curse on this Earth. Stretched out over generations. If you've come to plead for your life, I'm sorry, you've wasted your time."

Esther began to chant and we all weakened slowly. I could feel it, but I wasn't going out like this. I might not want the last word, but I want to fight back before I die. Tonight might be the night I die and I _need_ to go out with a bang.

I stumbled forward and swore when I hit a barrier. Klaus and Kol were refusing to kneel, but Elijah was weakening quickly. This was not the end! We are the Originals! We are the most feared people in the world! There's no way in hell we are going to die like this!

"No!" Esther exclaimed. "Sisters! Do not abandon me!"

Suddenly the pain went away. Before I could grab Esther, however, Finn picked her up and used his heightened speed to run away with her. I was too over-joyed about being alive to care enough to run after them.

I turned back to Klaus, Kol and Elijah. They all seemed relieved, but I was grinning. We were alive and we will continue to live forever. The next time Esther comes, we'll be ready to kill her. We'll be stronger and better prepared.

Elijah held his arms out for me to hug him, so I did. Then I hugged Kol, who just stood there, as he was still trying to get over the fact that his mother had just tried to kill him. That left Klaus, who was standing perfectly still.

"We're alive, Klaus," I said, relieved.

Klaus didn't do or say anything when I kissed him on the cheek. He just looked away so I couldn't see his reaction. I sighed and then started to head back to the car, feeling victorious.

Kol had left and Elijah was leaving. I knew that Kol wanted to travel a bit, but Elijah was very upset. He kept saying that he wasn't that moral and only uses his morals when he wants to. We all do that, but it's what makes Elijah everyone's favourite.

Klaus was in his study and I was in the parlour, drinking and thinking about what Esther had said to us, but especially what she had said to me. She had told me the honest truth, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I just had to come to terms with it.

I am a monster. When I was training to become an assassin, I killed kids who were years younger than I was. Or I would make friends and let them kill each other until I had to kill the one who was left standing and was injured.

Later on, when I was sent to kill people, I would kill the entire family if that was my job. If they thought I couldn't do it, I'd kill the entire family mercilessly. I was a terrible person, but it was what I had to do so I could survive.

I've been considered a monster all my life, but I can move past it. Esther's words meant nothing to me. If they did, I would be in tears or I would leave and travel for a while. I'm strong enough to get over what she thinks of me.

Sometimes the only reason I keep going is because if I don't, whoever hurt me will win and I don't like losing. That, and I was trained to keep going. It was drilled into my head that I have to keep going and that I have to survive.

"It's not over," Klaus stated, interrupting my thoughts. "Another tree grew back to replace the white oak tree we burned down."

"Are you sure?" I asked, turning to face Klaus.

"Rebekah showed me a video she took and in a cave there was a drawing of a native worshipping the new White Oak Tree," Klaus confirmed. "We have to find it and burn it before the Salvatores and Elena get their hands on it."

I downed the rest of my bourbon and then poured Klaus a glass. He looked like he really needed it right now. Then I poured myself another glass and we both stayed standing. Klaus was right in front of me, but we could move a hell of a lot closer.

"Why did I let you leave me in the first place?" Klaus asked, thoughtfully and sadly. "Everything was so simple between us. There was always a power play, but we were in love and would accept whoever was at the top was just a step or two ahead."

"You didn't want me to go," I reminded him. "I couldn't take it anymore. I'd sacrificed my own life for you, despite most of my instincts telling me to save myself. Three times in one night, I stopped Mikael from getting to you and I almost died each time."

"You're so beautiful, Thalia," Klaus told me. "Esther is wrong. You are not a monster. You are a queen and I am a king. For a while, I was your king and you were my queen. Maybe we can have that again one day."

I couldn't lie to myself and say that I don't love Klaus, because every fibre in my being wants to be with him right now. However, I couldn't let him know that I never truly stopped loving him. He could be happy with Caroline and I don't want to take that possibility away from him.

"Maybe one day," I agreed, quietly. "When we definitely get rid of that white oak. I don't want to love you just to die because I trusted one of the Salvatore brothers or because I got too close to one of their good friends. That, and you're happier when you're around Caroline. You deserve to be happy."

"Of course. Despite the fact that you're trained to only look out for yourself, you continue to put me and my feelings ahead of your own. You should be happy too. Maybe that Hayden boy can give you a true happiness. He seemed to make you smile."

Klaus gave me a small, heart-breaking smile and then walked off. I wanted nothing more than to call out for him to wait, so I could kiss him and tell him I love him, but I didn't. If I did that, we would become each other's weakness again and everyone could use it against us.

One day everything will be simple and I'll be free to do what I want. Maybe one day I won't be a monster either...


	5. Save Our Souls

Klaus, Rebekah and I had all agreed to sleep on the knowledge that there was another White Oak tree and that if anyone who isn't us finds it, we're royally screwed. I slept fine, despite the knowledge that I might die any day soon because the Salvatores, Elena and all of their friends could find a way to kill us all.

This morning, I got up, got dressed, and made myself look as badass as I could. I was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a black shirt with a gold studded-collar, black combat boots and a black leather jacket. If I was going for

I didn't have the motivation to do my make-up, but I did curl my hair. Then I walked down the stairs and went to find Klaus. My best guess was that we would meet in Klaus' study and it turns out I was right. I smirked to myself as I walked in.

Rebekah was looking really pretty, as always. Klaus, on the other hand, was a mess. There was a very dangerous look in his eyes that he only got when he was angry to the point of self-destruction. He had gotten like this before, when Kol tried to steal the witches of New Orleans from Klaus and when his life had been threatened by Mikael.

They both turned to look at me as I walked in. I sat down next to Klaus and across from Rebekah and saw a bottle of bourbon and a glass sitting nearby. I poured myself a glass and took a sip. Bourbon is a _great_ breakfast.

Klaus smirked and Rebekah gave me a judgmental look. I finished the glass in one go and poured one more. Before I could down that too, Klaus took it and drunk it all. I sighed, said nothing, and poured the drink again.

"So, what's plan?" Rebekah asked. "I was thinking that I could get the town mill records with a little bit of compulsion, if it's necesarry. If that doesn't work or I don't find anything, I'll speak to Mayor Lockwood."

"Well, I was thinking that we should drain Elena of blood for Klaus' hybrids and kill her in the process," I suggested, hopefully. "I mean, once we get her out of the way, they can try and avenge her but they will have to grieve first, giving us enough time to get our asses out of here or find the white oak wood."

"Why would they grieve first?" Klaus asked, looking for any flaws in my plan. "Why not just come after us and how do we know that she will have such a wide-spread effect on everyone?"

"She's the classic sob-story," I stated, surely. "Her parents died, boo-hoo. Then she loses her aunt and her biological father dies for her. Another chapter in the sob-story life of Elena Gilbert. Next, she loses her boyfriend to the big, bad, Klaus. Soon enough she'll send someone away or they'll die for her, just like everyone else. Then she claims she didn't want it to happen, but still doesn't change her actions."

"No, we go with Rebekah's plan," Klaus decided. "They will all react differently and we have to keep ourselves safe."

A day had passed and no progress had been made. All we know is that the Salvatores owned the town mill and have the documents we need to find the wood. Klaus wanted me to get the documents off of them somehow.

I was wearing another pair of black jeans, a black tank top that reads ' _Punk Spirits Never Die_ ' with the writing in white, black combat boots and a black leather jacket. My hair was curled, which was really not that much of a surprise. One difference from yesterday was that I was wearing my tree necklace again.

Despite being there last week, I expected the Salvatore Mansion to have changed a bit. Maybe a car in the driveway or a new plant. However, it was all the same and I was severely disappointed. If I live in a house with someone else, I change something around every day and wait for someone to notice.

Thankfully, neither brother had left the house when I let myself in. Damon and I were both meant to go to some bridge restoration thing, that Klaus donated to. I would be going on behalf of Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelsons, despite being an Ashwood. Damon was going because he donated too.

Both brothers were in the parlour, not speaking to each other. Stefan was looking out the window and Damon had a drink in his hand. Before I had the chance to clear my throat in order to get their attention, they both turned to see who was in their house.

"Hello boys," I greeted. "How are we all?"

"Skip the formalities, Thalia," Damon instructed, impatiently. "What do you want?"

"Always so impatient," I said, looking Damon in the eyes and bit my lip for a second. "That's probably why I liked having sex with you. You always wanted to get straight to it and would squirm when I made you wait."

"I'm leaving," Stefan stated.

As Stefan walked out of the room, I moved closer to Damon. I ran my hand across the table and then stood in front of him, close enough to kiss. Damon took a step back, clearly frustrated with the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about me now. It was all over his face.

"You have something I'm interested in," I told him, finally getting to the point. "What happened to the old town mill records? I figured that if I'm going to stay in this place, I may as well study everything about my new home."

"Didn't you live here, like, 1000 years ago?" Damon questioned. "How can it be your _new_ home?"

"I'm coming back after over 100 years and I plan to stay here as long as Klaus does," I explained. "My family is back together and if the others know that two of us are in the same place then they'll all join us, apart from Finn. I don't like Finn, so that's okay."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to have sex with me? Are you jealous of Rebekah?"

"Rebekah and I are both queens in our own rite. Why would I be jealous of a fellow queen? Now, about those records..."

"Right, well, I don't know where they are. Maybe I'll look for them one day, if I ever actually care about what you want."

I glared at Damon, but held my tongue. Instead of snapping his neck, I turned on my heel and walked out, refusing to show how truly annoyed I feel.

I knew that I had to go to the Wickery Bridge Restoration Fundraiser, but I decided that I needed a drink first. After my conversation with Damon, it was clear that I had no hope of getting the documents. Klaus had not been happy to hear that, but thankfully didn't yell at me.

By a drink, I meant that I would be sitting at the bar with a bottle of whiskey and a glass, drinking until I feel a bit more successful. I mean, at least Damon is suspicious but doesn't even know what he should be suspicious about. At least someone was worrying a bit, other than myself.

Someone with red hair sat next to me and ordered a drink. Her voice was oddly familiar, but I wasn't in the mood to put up with someone from my past, whether I liked them or not. The past is the past and it's nice when people from then stay there.

"Thalia?" The woman asked.

When I turned around, I let out a sigh. Sage, Finn's ex-lover/girlfriend, was sitting next to me. She was annoying and liked to pick fights with the wrong people, myself included. If you were the unfortunate one who got into an argument with her, she would quickly make it physical. I'm a great fighter, but I like arguing better.

Sage has red hair which went well with her fair skin. Her eyes were bright blue and she was two inches under six foot. As she was such a good fighter, she is thin but also has muscle.

"Sage, I would like to say it's a pleasure to see you again, but it really isn't," I stated, allowing her to hear how annoyed I am. "Why did you have to show up today, of all possible days? It's a Monday, I'm tired and annoyed with an ex-lover of mine."

"I'm surprised he's alive," Sage taunted. "Didn't the rest of your lovers die?"

"If you don't shut up, I'll tear out your tongue!" I threatened, speaking dangerously quietly. "Why are you even here? You wouldn't cross my path unless you needed to."

"I heard that your ex-lover with extreme anger issues let Finn out of the box he was stuck in. I figured he would go looking for me, so I came here as fast as I could."

I just laughed and rolled my eyes at how naïve Sage is. Finn didn't mention her once, not even to his own mother, who he had been doting on. I'm sure that some part of me felt bad, deep down, but I just couldn't bring myself to care right now.

Deciding that I wasn't anywhere near drunk enough, I drunk straight out of the bottle and accidentally finished it. Sage wasn't surprised, as I was always drinking wine when we first met. She was looking at me judgmentally though.

"We all know your a raging alcoholic, but even you need to slow down," Sage said, trying to seem cool and sassy.

"We all know you've got no sass, but you try anyway," I countered, unimpressed. "Now, if you'd excuse me, there's probably an attractive guy in here, so I'm going to go and speak to him."

"Alcoholic, self-centred to a fault and a sex addict? That's low, even for you." I glared at her and Sage just laughed. "Don't like what you hear? You never could handle the truth, could you? It's always about you."

"If I were as low as you and had no class like you, I'd of kicked your ass by now. However, I enjoy being classy and the better person, so I'm going to walk away and you aren't going to follow me. Oh, and if you want to know something about your precious little Finn: he wanted to kill himself to kill all Originals and their bloodlines."

Sage rolled her eyes, but part of her knew I was telling the truth. Part of her showed doubt and it made me feel a bit better about myself. I like making people feel bad, which is really quite horrible, but it's all true.

Rebekah had called me and asked me to meet her at Wickery Bridge. It turns out that the White Oak tree was what made the original bridge, so we were going to burn it. She had found it all out because Sage got into her head, realised that all the Originals are linked and then told Rebekah to save Finn.

However naïve Sage is, I was thankful that she was in love with Finn, for once in my life. Her tactics had been taught to her by Finn and I'd be kicking his ass twice for that, but it was fine right now. We would live to see another day.

We had gathered all of the wood and made a massive bonfire out of it. I was meant to light it on fire, so I pulled out my lighter. My lighter was one of the ones where you would flick up the cap and that would ignite the flame.

As I flicked the cap up, a red-orange flame appeared. I sighed and threw it into the fire. Immediately, all of the wood went up in flames. I smiled a little, but tried to hide it. The sight of the flames burning the wood that could kill me sent waves of relief rolling through my body.

I could hear a car driving towards the bridge. When I turned, I saw that Damon Salvatore was driving the car. He didn't look pleased and when Rebekah smiled smugly, I figured something was going on. I turned and walked off, going towards my own car.

Thankfully, Damon avoided me completely. All I had to do was get into my car and drive off. Rebekah had her own car and could drive herself home. I was done with most people for the night. I have every plan to sit down, watch The 100 and eat pizza.

Klaus' mansion was across town from here, but Mystic Falls is a small town and I was relying on the fact that because it's late, I can speed. As I sped through town, I managed to avoid going near the police station and got home within fifteen minutes.

When I walked through the door and into the parlour, I found Klaus drinking with a sad look on his face. He immediately hid his emotions, but it was too late. For a few seconds, I had an internal debate over whether or not to say something. I decided that I should, as his friend.

"Don't try to hide your feelings from me, Klaus," I warned. "What's on your mind?"

"Our family was willing to leave me," He said, sadly. "I tried to act as if I didn't understand why, but what I really don't understand is why _you_ want to stay. You could have the world and travel it or take back the cities that you used to run. Without me, you would be safe and happy."

"Without danger and worry, I get bored," I countered, taking his drink from his hand and taking a sip. "It's a hard life, being immortal. At least we got rid of all of the white oak wood."

Klaus hugged me and I had to put down the glass of what I had discovered was whiskey. As Rebekah walked through, we quickly pulled apart. She looked between the both of us, but shrugged and walked off, towards her room.

I was handed a glass of bourbon and Klaus topped-up his glass of whiskey. He smiled at me, took a sip and then we raised our glasses.

"To being immortal and invincible," I said.

"To being immortal and invincible," Klaus echoed, as we clinked our glasses together.

We spent the rest of the night drinking together and talking about nothing in particular. It was nice and I felt truly comfortable and had no worries, for once in my life...


	6. Fun and Games

Klaus and I were in some city, hunting down Finn. Rebekah was back in Mystic Falls, pre-occupied with a plan to take down Damon. The plan was really simple, so it would be fine to do it with just two people to get Finn.

We only wanted to see Finn so we could get his blood to do the unlinking spell. We also needed to find out whether or not I was linked in the first place. When Kol was stabbed with the dagger, it was the day after the linking spell was performed and it was a blood spell. I'm not blood-related to any of the others.

All I had to do was stop Finn if he tried to run from Klaus. My suspicion is that Finn will not want to come back because he is hiding Esther or at least knows where she is. However, right now we aren't focused on Esther. We need to unlink us all.

There was something that was worrying me. Damon Salvatore isn't stupid and propably knew that Sage would try and read his mind. That means there could be more white oak wood out there and we don't know about it because the records are private.

Finn was walking down a busy street when we spotted him. Klaus walked straight over and I waited for Finn to flee. We knew that he would, but we just didn't know when or where he would go. From what I could see, Klaus had annoyed Finn.

As soon as Finn ran, I went after him. I followed him down an alley and managed to get in front of him. I used the wall to flip myself over him. I landed in a crouch, but immediately got to my feet. It was a huge understatement to say that he wasn't happy to see me.

"Let's not make this worse than it has to be," I suggested, calmly.

"Why am I not surprised that you're siding with him?" Finn asked, annoyed. "You must keep forgetting that he's stored the rest of us in boxes. Oh, and that whenever Mikael shows up or someone tries to kill him, you sacrifice yourself, but he's never done the same."

"At least he's not trying to kill us all," I replied, calmly. "I don't like having my life threatened and we all know that I can take down Mikael with ease. I'm a trained assassin, idiot."

Finn turned to leave, but Klaus was behind him. Klaus looked bored and a little annoyed. Finn had a look of frustration on his face, which made me feel a bit better about myself. It was a bitter reunion and it was unfortunate that I'm not allowed to kick Finn's ass.

"What are you going to do?" Finn challenged. "Kill me?"

"Oh, that's right, you've got a death wish," Klaus said, unamused. "Fine. Pathetic, but fine. The thing is, I'm not going to let you take the rest of us down with you."

Klaus nodded at me, so I grabbed Finn's head and slammed it against the wall. Finn was knocked out immediately and crumpled to the ground. I sighed as Klaus lifted Finn up and carried him back to the car bridal-style.

When we got in the car, Finn was covered with a blanket so it didn't look so sketchy. We then headed back to Mystic Falls. I wouldn't be sticking around for Finn's reunion with Sage, as Klaus already has a vial of my blood and I have somewhere to be.

Klaus had dropped me off at the Mystic Grill. I have no clue how I'm going to get home, but I did happen to notice that Elena and her friend Matt were both here. Hayden and Carter would be here soon, with Carter's girlfriend too, but I had some time.

The only reason I agreed to hang out with Hayden and Carter today is because Klaus needs a witch or a warlock and if Bonnie doesn't work out then Hayden will be a bit more willing. It was a good plan and an even better excuse for me to not meet Bonnie Bennett, who is another friend of Elena's. None of her friends seem to like me and it offends me a little.

Elena was talking about all of her friends having a white oak stake. She made the mistake of saying it while I was here. From what I was hearing, it was made from the Wickery Bridge sign. I cursed silently, but before I could call Klaus, Hayden and Carter showed up with Carter's girlfriend.

I sighed, but knew that Elena and Matt are not strong enough to kill an Original by themselves. Stefan or Damon would have to show up before they could act. We would be fine for now, especially if they don't see me.

"Thalia, it's good to see you again," Hayden greeted. "This is Alice. She's Carter's girlfriend."

Alice is very pretty. She reminded me of my sisters a bit. Her hair is blonde and they are a perfect match for her blue eyes. They both work well with her pale skin. All I could tell from how she stood was that she was sort of short and skinny, but confident.

"Pleasure to meet you," I told her, calmly.

"You too," she said. "I didn't think Hayden was serious about having a girlfriend and I didn't expect you to be so pretty."

I smiled and laughed, but then turned and glared at Hayden. He just shrugged and walked over to me. I saw a grin on Alice's face when Hayden put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek. However, it was a very bitter grin.

We walked over to the booth at the back and sat down. I quickly glanced over at Elena and Matt. I was thankful that they hadn't seen me yet and I needed to keep it that way. Alice noticed this and narrowed her eyes, but quickly went back to smiling.

Hayden and I sat together on one side, with Carter and Alice sitting across from us. Carter was staring at Alice while she smiled back at him. It was clear that Carter loves Alice, but I did worry that she did not love him back. From what I have seen, Carter is a really nice guy.

"Drinks are on me," I stated, standing up and breaking what I felt was an uncomfortable silence. "What do you all want?"

"Lemonade," Alice said.

"I'll have a coke," Carter told me, snapping out of his daze.

"Hayden, why don't you come with me?" I suggested. "I don't think I'll be able to carry all of the drinks by myself."

Hayden smiled and stood up. Something about Alice was off. I felt like I know her, even though I can't recall how. Now was also the perfect time to ask Hayden why the hell I'm meant to be acting like I'm his girlfriend.

We got to the bar and ordered the drinks. As we waited, I turned to face Hayden and ensured that Alice couldn't see either of our faces. I could feel her staring at us and it was incredibly uncomfortable. All I wanted was to ask her why she was staring at me, but I controlled myself.

"Why the hell am I meant to act like your girlfriend?!" I asked, whispering angrily. "Why the hell wasn't I informed earlier?! I could've worn something nice!"

"Alice wanted to set me up with her half-sister Lili, but I don't like Lili much, so I said I was dating you," Hayden explained, muttering. "I mean, sure, Lili's pretty and all, but she isn't my type. You're a vampire, but at least you have personality traits that I like. I had to cover up well."

"Well, Hayden, you and I are going to sort this out when we actually have the time," I told him, calmly.

We took the drinks back over to the table. Carter was the only one with coke, as the rest of us ordered a glass of lemonade. He was still watching Alice lovingly. I worried for him right now.

I glanced back over at Elena and Matt. Elena was on the phone to someone and Matt was glancing all around the room. I looked down before he could see me. Everyone saw me do this, however. Alice just glared at me, while Carter shot me a confused look and Hayden tensed up.

"How do you know Matt Donovan and Elena Gilbert?" Hayden asked, very quietly. "It's just that they're both staring at you."

Crap. They found me. I looked up at Hayden and saw the suspicion on his face, but took his hand and smiled a little. Carter looked concerned and there was a slightly smug look on Alice's face. I knew her from somewhere, but that isn't important right now.

"I hate to cut this date short, but I should really go," I said, standing up. "It was a pleasure to see you all."

"I'll drop you home," Hayden offered, standing beside me.

I just nodded and walked off, as quickly as I could. Hayden followed me, but was a few steps behind. I passed both Elena and Matt, so they both stepped forward. I took a step back and froze. Hayden stood beside me and nodded at me, reassuringly.

"Stay the hell away from me!" I spat. "I know about those stakes! If you try _anything_ on _anyone_ , I'll show you exactly how hellish our world can be!"

With that, I stormed off. Hayden took my hand to keep up the act, but as soon as we were out of sight, he let my hand go. I was then led down a few streets to where Hayden had parked his car, seeing how he couldn't get too close without a parking fine.

Hayden owned a simple toyota, but at least it was an actual car. This way we could talk because both of us have some explaining to do. He unlocked his car and we both got in. I wanted to go home as soon as possible, but I wanted answers first.

As soon as the car started, Hayden took off. I had to tell him where Klaus' mansion was, but we were going to go the back way and go at the actual speed. Maybe I can afford a speeding fine, but Hayden definitely can't.

"How am _I_ your type?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "I'm a murderous, psychopathic vampire. I'm also vain, selfish and an alcoholic. Let's not forget the fact that I'm angry, emotional and am 1019 years old."

"You're loyal and you've proved it twice," Hayden stated. "You potentially risked your life to help out your friends and today you threatened two people to keep those you care for safe. You're reckless and beautiful, as well as kind when you want to be and brave. Another good thing is that you're intelligent enough to know when you can be brave and reckless and when it's a bad idea."

"Yeah, well, the good doesn't always even out the bad," I told him. "I suppose your wondering about how I know Elena and what's going on, huh?"

"That was exactly what I was just thinking about. What's going on?"

"Elena and all of her friends found white oak wood, which can kill me. They made it into stakes and this morning she was on the phone, so I over-heard her conversation and found out. When I tell Klaus, he's going to get so mad."

We pulled up, into the driveway of the mansion. Hayden didn't speak as he looked at what was possibly the biggest, fanciest house he had ever seen in his life. If only he saw the old Ashwood lands that are in town.

"Thanks for the ride," I said, gratefully. "Hopefully next time we catch up it can be normal."

"Yeah, have a good day," Hayden told me, smiling a little.

I got out of the car and waved as Hayden drove off. Then I walked inside and stopped in the parlour to get myself a bottle of bourbon or vodka, whichever was closest. It turned out to be bourbon, so I went to find Klaus.

Instead of finding Klaus, I found Damon bleeding out. Someone, probably Rebekah, had locked bear traps on his wrists and had tried to bleed him out. When he saw me, he looked up and smiled. I could see the hope in his eyes. The hope that I would undoubtedly crush.

Rebekah was there and she looked at me, annoyed. I smiled at her, offered some bourbon and then I drunk it myself. For some reason I felt like dancing, so I did. I spun out of the room, while drinking the bourbon, and went to find Klaus.

When I found Klaus, he was with Bonnie Bennett. I smiled, set down my bourbon and walked over to them. Klaus was clearly on edge, but when he saw the sudden change in my facial expressions, he began to worry.

"I've got some bad news," I stated. "They made more white oak stakes. When we thought we burned all of the white oak, we were wrong. The original bridge sign was made out of it, so they cut it up and now have at least eight weapons that can kill us."

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked, slowly. "How do you know this."

"I over-heard Elena and Matt Donovan talking about it," I said. "They didn't know I was near them. All of them have a stake, apart from Bonnie."

Klaus was worried, but he hid it well. All I could see on his face was anger and maybe a bit of betrayal. There was also a fierce determination, which was no surprise.

"I would gladly do my part, but I'm a bit busy," Klaus pointed out. "You know what you have to do."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I muttered.

The first place I looked for Stefan was at the Mystic Grill because Elena had been there. Thankfully my guess was correct, so I didn't have to go and actually look for him. He was sitting at the bar near Finn and Sage.

Smiling to myself, I pulled out Damon's phone and texted Stefan, telling him to meet me in the alley outside. This was going to be one of the most dangerous things I've done, seeing how I could get staked. However, I need to get my message across and none of his friends will be there.

Stefan walked out, into the alley, and looked around. As soon as he saw me, he pulled out that pesky white oak stake. To think there's at least eight more of those things. This will eventually be disasterous and we all know it.

I hadn't forgotten about my magic, but Stefan didn't know about it at all. It was definitely an advantage, but was showing him what I can do worth losing my secret weapon. Sure, it's sort of life or death here, but it's an important advantage.

Before I had time to fully comprehend what was going on and react, Stefan ran at me with the stake. Of course, I tried to push him away, but it was too late. He pinned me against the nearest wall and pressed the tip of the stake to my heart.

Before he could actually say or do anything, I brought my knee up and kneed him where it hurts. Stefan went down, groaning loudly. Then I kicked him in the face, so he fell backwards. Somehow, he still had a grip on that stupid stake.

"Do you really think I'd go down that easily?" I asked, smirking. "I'm not dying today or any day soon."

"How do you have Damon's phone?" Stefan questioned, getting back on his feet. "If you know about the stakes then why did you come after me?"

"Damon is currently being held by Rebekah and Bonnie is under Klaus' care," I said, emotionlessly. "If I were you, I'd trade in all of the stakes for the two of them. Rebekah is _not_ being nice to your brother. He was actually locked up in bear traps."

Stefan seemed to be worried about his brother, so I laughed. Thinking he could catch me off-guard, the youngest Salvatore ran at me again. I kicked my leg up, hitting his hand. The stake flew out of his hand and skidded across the floor.

As Stefan dove across the floor, I laughed. It slid away, towards me. At the last moment, it rose from the ground and landed in my palm. Stefan stood up again, looking surprised and defeated, as I laughed at him.

"I'm going to keep this so Klaus knows what the others look like when you give them to us, just in case you try to fake them," I decided. "So, I expect to see you in a few hours with the stakes. If not, I'm going to start killing everyone you know and somewhat like." I paused and grinned. "Nice chat."

I smiled and walked off, knowing that Stefan could not try anything. It is just a matter of time before we get all of those stakes anyway. Whether he just hands them over or I get to kill some people, it really doesn't matter because I'll be safe in the end.

Bonnie had just left the house, so I assumed that the spell was done. We passed each other at the door as I grabbed Klaus' arm and pulled him into the house. He waved goodbye to Bonnie and then turned to face me.

I reached into my jacket and pulled out a white oak stake, then handed it to Klaus. We didn't speak as he studied it. It was well made and sharp, so they clearly want to kill us all. I'm thankful that we're no longer all linked.

"They have more than this," I stated, surely. "I got this one with ease and I told him that if those stakes aren't brought to us, I'll start killing people."

"Good," Klaus said. "We'll burn them all at the same time. Thank you."

"If you'll excuse me, I have a friend to visit," I told Klaus, bitterly. "Elena and Matt Donovan ruined lunch for me."

With that, I walked out of the house and towards my car. I ignored Bonnie, who had slid down her car and was crying on the ground. I mean, it's none of my business.

That was when I got a brilliant idea. Bonnie's vulnerable and it'll be easier to manipulate her. This way I can convince her to side with us or at least not to side with Elena. The less friends and allies Elena has, the better.

"Are you alright?" I asked, offering Bonnie a hand to help her up.

Bonnie stood up on her own and wiped her eyes. Somehow, despite the fact that her eyes were red, puffy and filled with tears, she glared at me. I sighed and let my arm drop to my side. I would play this nice, but if I am pushed to far, I'm going to be nasty.

"What do you want from me?" Bonnie questioned, suspiciously. "You're an Original, you always want something."

"Doesn't everyone always want something?" I replied, calmly. "Surely even you want something. I want to have my siblings love me again. I'm sure you want your normal life back."

"You're not a shrink and I don't need your help!"

"You don't need it, but you might _want_ it. It's alright to want things. Since I've arrived here, all I've heard is Elena this and Elena that. Sure, she's your friend, but shouldn't _she_ help _you_ for once? If it weren't for her, Klaus and I would've used my witch. However, we decided that using you would send her a good message about trying to kill us and all those we have sired."

"She would've killed Stefan, Damon, Tyler and Caroline..." Bonnie started to realise something and I didn't care what it was because my idea was working. "Stefan will sacrifice himself to kill Klaus too. He could kill them all."

"If Damon dies, your mother dies. Tell your friends what you've learned today and protect them. If you don't, I'll have to resort to drastic actions. Let's just say, I like living and if they kill me, they're going to die too."

Bonnie glared at me as I grinned. Then I turned and walked over to my car. I wasn't going to catch up with anyone, I was going to buy more bourbon and get drunk...


	7. Persuade

When Stefan returned the stakes we discovered that there were actually eleven. He only handed in nine of them and apparently had to get two others off of Alaric, who has an evil alter-ego. Now, knowing the Salvatore brothers, they won't torture Alaric until they have no other choice, so they have plenty of time to plot.

Klaus wanted to kill Alaric, which is the worst idea I've heard in a very long time. If we kill Alaric without knowing the location of the stake, someone else might find it and kill one of us. Sure, we aren't linked to each other anymore, but it would still be a pain in the ass and a bit upsetting.

Rebekah had asked me to help her set up for this Decade Dance thing. I'm not even enrolled at school and there isn't any alcohol there, so what's the point? There's no alcohol and no point, so it was quite a stupid request, even by Rebekah's standards.

Right now, I am living the life. I'm on my way to getting drunk while listening to my Spotify playlist. For once there was no ads because I decided to upgrade to premium. I have almost a billion dollars, with access to most banks in the world. Money isn't a problem right now.

My anthem, 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked' was playing. In all reality, the wicked never need to rest but we do because we get what we want. Those of us who are truly wicked are cunning, cold and ruthless. In fact, we're like the perfect combination of Roose Bolton, Walder Frey and Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones.

Anyone who was to walk in right now would probably assume I'm already drunk, but I was nowhere near it. I'm just doing my own thing and drinking whatever hard liquor I can get my hands on. Klaus was not going to be happy when he finds out he has to buy more alcohol.

"Thalia!" Klaus called. Speak of the devil...

"What?!" I asked, calling back.

"We're going to pay the Salvatores a little visit," he said, finally walking into the room.

We walked out of the house and towards Klaus' car in silence. My car was closer, but if we took it then I would have to drive because there's no way in hell that I'm going to let Klaus drive it. He could run us off the road and then I'd have to either buy or compel myself a new car. Both are a lot of work.

After fifteen minutes of silence, we walked into the Salvatore Boarding House. Klaus and I both knew what we had to do. He went straight after Alaric and Stefan while I searched for either of the two stakes. It was clear that they were holding onto it.

I found it in the fireplace, under all of the logs. It was somewhere Damon would hide it. He hides things in some of the easiest to find places. Sometimes it works because it's a stupid place to put it. However, most of the time his plan fails.

I sauntered downstairs and into the cellar, where Klaus and Stefan were having a mini stare-down. You could almost smell the tension in the room. Alaric was awkwardly sitting there with a glass of alcohol of some sort. I took it off of him and downed it all in one go.

"I found this upstairs," I stated, showing them both the white oak stake. "Now, by my count, there should be one more."

"Yeah, well it's gonna take a little more time," Stefan told us, trying to buy himself more time.

"Why?" I asked, annoyed. "Because we're waiting for Alaric to pass out? Why don't we just knock him unconscious?"

"No thanks," Klaus disagreed. "I think I'll just kill him."

I sighed and gave Klaus my world-famous bitch-face. We had been over why it would be a good idea, but of course he isn't going to listen to me. I mean, it's not like I'm good at all of this or anything. Nope. Not at all.

"Well, then you won't know the location of the other stake," Stefan pointed out.

"I can live with that," Klaus decided.

"Well I can't," I argued.

"When we staked Finn, we discovered that killing an Original vampire killed it's entire bloodline," Stefan said, backing me up. "Now, I don't know which one of you I'm descended from, but I'd really rather not find out by dying, so why don't we just find the stake, destroy it, and then we can all be safe?"

"So the fate of the entire vampire race depends on you finding a stake?" I asked, suspiciously. "And to get it we need Alaric to pass out."

"Which means that I feel totally justified doing this," Klaus cut-off.

Klaus ran at Alaric, grabbed his neck and then snapped it. Alaric slumped against the wall, dead. For a split second Stefan actually looked somewhat worried. It was quite amusing.

"There," Klaus said. "Sleeping like a baby."

I sighed and glared at Klaus. He just shrugged and walked out. Stefan looked angry and annoyed, but I had to annoy him further. There was something that I needed to know.

"Why do you want us dead?" I asked. "I don't care why Elena wants us dead. I want to know why you and your brother want us dead. It's only fair."

"Klaus and I were friends when I was a ripper and he compelled me to forget him," Stefan explained. "It was worse when he took me away from Elena and Damon. Then he compelled me to kill people and he compelled me to kill Elena, so I almost did it."

"Fine," I said, understanding those reasons. "What about Rebekah and Elijah?"

"Rebekah tried to kill Elena!"

"I said _you_ not Elena. Now answer my question."

"Elijah ran off with Klaus when we were working together to kill him. He betrayed us. Rebekah is just selfish."

"Now, why do you want me dead? Is it because I tried to save you and your brother when I compelled you to forget me? Is it because I did exactly what you do when I threatened you to save my family?"

Stefan said nothing and looked down. I just rolled my eyes at him, but did not leave the room. I was not going to leave until I get my answer or until he backed down.

"You were just going to be a casualty." Stefan's voice was quiet and it was clear he knew he was in the wrong. "I mean, you never hurt us without reason, but the others did. We have to save Elena."

"Why is it all about her? If it weren't for Elena, you could live normal lives. You would not want to kill us and maybe we would never have bothered you. Just think about that."

I left Stefan to his thoughts and went to amuse myself somewhere.

I could be anywhere in Mystic Falls, but I had decided that I wanted to go back to the house I had lived in last time I was here. Of course, I have not been back here since 1860, so it had most likely changed, but had to be in the same place. Houses of that size could not be moved.

When I walked up the driveway, I noticed at least seven cars in the driveway. Six of them were classy or sport cars, but the seventh was a run-down Ford. Seeing how I used to live here, I decided to go and meet the new owners of the house.

In all reality it was called the Ashwood Mansion. We had at least twenty-five acres of land, a pool, and a tennis court. I only know we have the pool and tennis court because the last people that lived there had them built in.

As soon as I knocked on the door, someone opened it. I stepped back and saw Hayden, looking angry but pretty hot. He wore a pair of tight, black skinny jeans, a Metallica band shirt and vans. When he saw me, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Hey babe," he said, kissing me on the cheek. "I was just about to call you."

Remembering that we were said to be dating, I turned to face him and smiled flirtatiously. He wrapped an arm around my waist and I stood close to him. When I saw that he was arguing with Alice, I wasn't that surprised.

"Thalia, perfect timing," Alice told me, smiling at me. "My family is having a small gathering tonight and we invited Hayden and Carter to join us. Carter will be coming with me, of course, but Hayden won't be let in unless he has a date. I suggested he go with my sister, but he said no."

"Well, if Hayden wants to go then I will accompany him," I replied, trying to act sweet and kind. "If not, I will not push him and we can spend the night watching movies at my house."

"We should get going," Hayden said, stifly.

Alice shut the door as Hayden stormed off. I didn't have anything better to do, so I followed him. His car wasn't here, so he stormed down the driveway. When I finally decided to get in front of him and stop him, he got a murderous look in his eyes. That's always fun.

Hayden just stepped around me, sighed dramatically, and kept going. I groaned and used my vampiric speed to get in front of him and put a hand on his chest. Now he knew better to walk off, because I want answers.

We both stood there, staring each other down. It was a battle of the wills and I was going to win this. Hayden is pretty stubborn though. He deserves an award for almost being able to glare me down. I did win though, because Hayden looked away and sighed again.

"What happened?" I asked, calmly.

"Carter decided to surprise me and tell me that Alice's family are in town and are here to stay," Hayden explain. "Now they're having dinner and want me to invite you because they're all acting like I'm their family too. They're all vampires, even Alice, and Carter doesn't know it. I don't think I could have dinner with them and I don't want to keep calling you and asking you to help me out. It's not fair on you."

"Well, we're going to that dinner and we're going to expose them and then explain everything to Carter," I decided, determinedly. "I'll be here at six. Wear something nice, like a suit or something."

Hayden glared at me, but I was gone before he could argue.

I was looking for a dress to wear tonight, so I would be ready. Music was blaring from my speakers and I was singing along, really enjoying myself. Klaus walked in, but I ignored him as he watched me dance around my room.

"You're in a good mood, considering the fact that Alaric Saltsman's evil alter-ego still hasn't told us the location of the last stake," Klaus stated. "What are you up to?"

"I'm having dinner with a cute guy, we're going to rescue his friend from a family of vampires and they all own my house," I explained. "There might be murder involved, which is always fun. If I need help, I'll call you."

"I'm going to see if the Salvatores have that last stake yet," Klaus stated. "Rebekah is coming with me. Do you have time to join or is this boy more important than your life. Oh, and Esther died in our liviing room because the spell that was keeping her body in tact failed."

"Such a shame that I missed it. Maybe next time I'll watch her die. She never seems to stay dead. No one does."

"Who are you meeting?" There was a hint of jealousy in Klaus' tone, which made me grin. "Why are you dressing up so nice? What do you plan to do?"

I laughed and walked over to Klaus. When I placed my hands on his shoulders and slid them down his chest, he stiffened and then relaxed. He placed his arms around my waist as we made eye-contact. If anyone saw this, they would think we were in love, but we know better.

"You're jealous, aren't you?" I teased. "I'll see you later tonight or maybe in the morning. Don't wait up, love. Now, I wish to get dressed so you need to leave."

Klaus stepped away, laughed and then walked off, shaking his head. He tells me those exact words whenever he can. It may not seem that funny, but it's an inside joke. It's what he told a vampire named Mary Porter - or Scary Mary - when he wanted her to leave him alone.

I picked up the dress and went into my walk-in-wardrobe to put it on. It was black and tight, ending at my mid-thigh. However, it was expensive and looked fancy, especially with the right jewellery. I paired it with a pair of black five inch heels.

I'm short, but anything over six inch makes me seem like a giant and six inch heels are a bit too much when you're having a family dinner. Four inch is a reasonable height, but I do have a preference for six inch heels.

Then I moved on to jewellery. My hair was already curled, so I wasn't going to touch it or put anything in it. I put in a pair of gold dangling earrings, which had a waterfall effect. I then put on my gold lapis lazuli ring, kept my necklace on and added a plain but elegant gold bracelet.

I wasn't feeling like wearing make-up, so I didn't. I just grabbed a black leather jacket, but that on and then left my room. When I walked down the stairs, I felt two pairs of eyes on me. I smiled at Klaus and Rebekah when I reached the bottom step.

"You look nice," Klaus muttered.

"Oh please, Thalia looks stunning," Rebekah said.

That was out of character for Rebekah. She wouldn't say I look stunning in this. In fact, Rebekah and I usually trade insults when one of us look nice. I narrowed my eyes, but thought nothing of it. Even if she were going to compliment me, she would say lovely or gorgeous.

"Well, I best be going," I stated, coolly.

"Isn't your boyfriend going to pick you up?" Rebekah asked, again acting out of character.

"He isn't my boyfriend," I told her. "He's just a friend."

Rebekah looked at me blankly, but then looked away. I was a bit suspicious, but there's no reason to worry. I brushed it off and left the house, heading for my car. When I got there, I got in and drove off, making sure that I was going the speed limit.

The drive was quite short and I was there within ten minutes. When I got out, I noticed that Hayden's car was there, and that there was only two others in the long driveway. I wasn't complaining, as it meant I could park my car undercover.

When I got out, I locked my car, slipped the keys into my jacket pocket, and then walked over to the door. I knocked quickly and the door opened a second after, revealing an overly-happy Alice and an incredibly annoyed Hayden.

"Thalia, come in," Alice invited.

I stepped in and Hayden smiled at me. He seemed to be in a terrible mood, so I wasn't going to ask. He just glared at Alice and stood there, with his arms crossed.

"My siblings will be back soon," she explained. "Carter is here somewhere, but he and Hayden got into a fight. I think it might've been over my sister. You might want to secure your man."

Alice laughed and I wanted to block my ears. Her laugh was quite possibly the most annoying thing that I've ever heard. Hayden shivered and tried to block out the noise without putting his fingers in his ears. I almost laughed, but I understood how he was feeling.

"I think Hayden and I are fine, thank you," I told her, sounding as bitter as I could manage. "I've got no reason to be worried. Just look at me."

When Alice glared at me, I saw her physically biting her tongue. She didn't want to reply because she knows I can kill her. I don't even have to use my fangs, I can just send her flying across the room and make her head slam against the wall as hard as possible.

"Thalia and I are going up to my room," Hayden decided. "She used to live here, so she knows her way around. Bye."

Hayden took my hand and led me up the stairs, down a few hallways and into his room. I knew all of the hallways of this house. It's burned in the back of my mind. The fact that Hayden was in the room next to mine did surprise me though.

The Ashwood Manor is big enough to house twenty-six guests, even more if rooms are to be shared. That still leaves the four rooms that belong to family members, the entertainment rooms, the many parlours, the kitchen, and the living room. It's really a mansion, but I don't like bringing it up.

I noticed that the house has been renovated. Hayden's walls were white, apart from one, which was red and was where the head of his four-post bed was. The bed was black and had curtains all around it, so he could have privacy while he sleeps. All of the furniture was black. It was quite elegant, actually. A chandelier hung from the roof and lit up the room.

We sat on Hayden's bed, but he kept all of the curtains up. I was thankful for that. I didn't want him to get the wrong impression, although I'm not overly sure of how I really feel for him. The one thing I know for sure is that I'm not entering a bloody love triangle. I would rather have my tongue cut out.

"You look lovely," Hayden told me. "I still have to get dressed, so if you'd just excuse me for a moment..."

Hayden got up, moved across the bed and then went over to his wardrobe, which was walk-in. He shut the door behind him, so I pulled my phone out of my jacket and checked my snapchat. Nothing of any interest was happening, so I sort of just sat there.

When Hayden walked back out, I almost didn't recognise him. He was wearing a black suit, with the pocket thing and everything. His hair was slicked back again, the way it was when he was first met. I smiled at him and saw a glint in his eyes, which had turned a stormy grey.

"Tell me, Mister Silvetti, what are we doing this evening?" I asked, getting up and walking over to him.

"Alice's twisted little family are going to have a dinner, then it's going to end and we're going to have to put on the show of our lives," Hayden explained. "I should never have dragged you into this, but you're the only girl who's number I have. I don't talk to many people at school."

Before I could speak, Alice walked in with a gleam in her eyes. Hayden immediately pulled me close, so she didn't see that we were just talking like friends. Sometimes I forget to be cautious and I let my over-worked senses relax.

"Hayden, Lili's back and she wants to talk to you," Alice told him. She then looked at me. "Alone."

"It can wait until after dinner," Hayden insisted. "I'd rather reject her on a full stomach, so I don't lose my appetite."

"You know, I don't believe you two are together," Alice stated, angrily. "Let me get Carter. I want you to prove that you're a couple. Someone as frigid as you wouldn't date someone like Thalia."

Before I could say something witty and show Alice what happens when she messes with me, she left to go and find Carter. When they came back, there was a sad look in Carter's eyes, especially when he looked at Hayden. I felt him tense up beside me, but chose to ignore it.

"You two are going to kiss and Carter and I are going to judge it," Alice decided. "Now we'll know if it's real or not. I really doubt it though."

I ignored Alice and looked up at Hayden. He leaned down and kissed me. It lasted more than a second, but that wasn't going to be good enough. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around my waist, pulling me closer.

When we broke the kiss, Hayden had to take a deep breath. There was a look of pure fury on Alice's face, which made me want to laugh. Carter, however, just looked disappointed and even sadder, if it's possible.

"Dinner's ready," Alice muttered, then stormed off and dragged Carter with her.

Hayden gave me an apologetic smile and then took my hand. The kiss had been nice, but it wasn't one of those fireworks moments. Maybe it was because we were forced or maybe it was because there's no chemistry between us, other than good friendship.

We walked down the stairs and towards the dining hall. I sensed that everyone was there, so Hayden and I walked in, still holding hands. I looked at him, keeping up the act, before looking around.

That was when I froze...

"What the hell?"


	8. Wining and Dining

"What the hell?" I asked, turning to Hayden.

I didn't know how to feel! How are you meant to feel in this situation? What are you meant to do?! Ugh! Why can't anything ever go my way when it comes to dinners?!

In front of me were all of my siblings. Not the Mikaelsons, but my biological siblings. Alistair, Astrid, Eric, Lucas, Astrid, Lili and Hunter were all sitting at the table, playing happy families. It was all a lie, a well-designed façade to male everyone think that we all loved each other and weren't plotting each other's deaths.

That's where I knew Alice from. Alice Sear is my half-sister. Father had a child with another woman and we didn't know about it until I'd turned everyone into vampires. I found her and spoke to her, realising she was my sibling too. Then I turned her, out of spite.

No one had changed. They hadn't even done anything with their hair. It was quite sad, really. My plan had originally been to hunt them down and kill them, but I had decided that forcing them to live without their magic is good enough. They didn't forgive me for that and they know I'll kill them if I want to.

Before anyone could speak, someone texted me. Everyone heard my phone ring. I'd set a different ring tone for Klaus and it happened to be Mama by My Chemical Romance. I felt like it really fit Klaus at the time I changed it.

The text said that Rebekah was missing and we didn't have that last stake. He suspects that Alaric did something. We weren't sure whether it was Evil Alaric or normal Alaric, so they could be anywhere. If he's done something to her, we won't know.

Great. Just perfect. All of my siblings are gathered in the same room as me, Rebekah's missing, Evil Alaric is the only one who can get that last stake, and Klaus is going to be hell-bent on finding the last stake. However, there was one good thing to come out of this: If I die, my siblings go down with me and they won't get their revenge if that happens.

"Well, this isn't the most hostile environment I've ever been in, but it is the most awkward," I stated, trying to convince them that I'm amused. "I hate to cut dinner short, but my life's in danger and I should go and see what's taking so long."

I quickly walked over to the door on the far side of the room, but before I could get there, Astrid got in my way. I sighed loudly and considered throwing her aside, but that meant I would have to deal with all of the others. Right now wasn't the best time to get into a fight.

"Sit down," Astrid commanded, shoving my backwards.

I stumbled back a step before regaining my footing and punching her in her stupid, pretty face. Despite the fact that I had punched her and she was furious, she still looked pretty. Her wavy white-blonde hair fell to her mid-back and framed her face. Her purple eyes were incredibly dark and still glinted with hatred and anger.

"I don't take commands from _you!_ " I hissed. "Now get out of my way!"

Lili, Alistair, Alice, and Lucas all rushed to Astrid's side. They stood in a straight line, ready to fight me. I was sure this was rehearsed because it was going too well. I could sense Eric's uneasiness and the fact that Hunter was reluctant to join his other siblings.

Lili still has long, light ash blonde hair and violet eyes. She had grown out of being cute or dangerous and was just dangerous now. Fortunately for me, she was only two inches taller than me and wasn't much of a threat anymore.

Alistair had grown into his looks. His olive skin complimented his grey-purple eyes and his dark brown hair had turned black. Now the fact that he's tall and muscular suits him well. He used to be burly, but now he's a lot lankier and it suits him better.

Lucas had not changed much. He's still tall and lean with dark brown hair, that is now collar-length. His intense, dark purple eyes somehow suited his tan skin and devilishly charming smile. He was still quite attractive, too

"Do you really think you could beat all of us?" Lucas asked, amused.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Eric snapped, before I could reply. "Thalia is our little sister. I told everyone that we will be sitting down and having a nice dinner. It's been more than a thousand years. We need to get past all of our differences and hatred."

Eric was a lot like Elijah, but much more diplomatic and well-heard. All of my siblings returned to their seats, although none of them seemed happy about it. Hunter and Eric both seemed relieved. Whenever I saw them, part of me felt bad for what I've done, but it wasn't without reason.

I stayed standing and Eric looked at me. I made the mistake of looking him in the eyes. He wanted me to sit down, but I really need to go. Rebekah's taking too long with that stake and I want to be there to see it burn.

"Thalia, you need to sit down too," Eric insisted. "I know you don't want to, but you have to."

"Listen, there's a weapon out there that could kill me and it's still missing," I explained. "If I die, you all go down with me. So, can I go and look for it or do I have to sit down and have dinner?"

"Sit," Eric said, calmly.

I sighed loudly, but walked over to the table and took a seat anyway. Eric was at the head of the table, with Astrid directly across from him. I sat on his right with Hayden next to me, while Hunter was across from me and Carter sat next to him. Next to Carter was Alice and then it was Alistair. Next to Hayden was Lucas and Lili.

This was twisted and stupid and I hated it. Why should I have to sit down with these people? Yeah, I did turn them into vampires, but they deserved that. They had been horrible to me, whether they meant to act like that or not. Even Hunter and Eric abandoned me.

Eric had grown up a lot, but he was still handsome. His black hair was shorter and had been slicked back, but would be shaggy and long when it's not. It no longer framed his pale face, but now you could see how purple his eyes really are.

Hunter had not changed a lot either. He was eighteen, seeing how the night I was turned was a day before my birthday. We still both have really pale skin, bright purple eyes and wavy black hair. His hair now goes to his collar, which somehow makes him look even more handsome.

"How have you been, sister?" Eric asked, seemingly interested.

"Miserable," I lied. "Is that what you all want to hear? Because it's the opposite of how I've really been. In fact, I've been having the time of my undead life. I've taken many lovers, all of them passionate and strong, I've been to more concerts in one lifetime than you can imagine, and I've just enjoyed life."

"It's good to hear that you're happy," Hunter told me, smiling sadly. "We've all tried to be happy. It just does not work."

A pang of guilt hit my stomach, but I ignored it. I had to show them that I'm bored and annoyed. If they see even a slight flicker of any emotion like guilt, they will try to bring me down and it might just work. I will not let them win.

"Well, either you're still trying to make me feel bad or it's because our siblings haven't left you alone," I stated, pouring myself a glass of wine. "Either way, why should I care? I offered to let you come with me. I offered you freedom, both you and Eric, but neither of you took it."

"I do believe that when they turned you down, you lost it," Astrid reminded me. "You killed Eric's friend and then Hunter's horse."

I gave Astrid a bitter smile and she just happened to spill wine on herself. Hayden looked at me, but then he looked away and acted as if it wasn't me. We had to keep acting as if I don't have any magic or they will hate me for sure. Not like I care, but still.

"I keep telling you, that wasn't me," I insisted. "Mikael was getting close and you knew it. Why would I do it? It would put him on my trail, which it did. In fact, I think you did it. Or maybe Alistair. You two always try to scheme against me."

Alistair looked nervous, but no one payed attention to him. They were all looking at me, as if I were the badguy. I mean, I kind of am, but in a necessary way. I turned them into vampires so they didn't have to watch me kill our parents and I didn't have to knock them out. Then I taunted them a few times, but not without reason.

At least I didn't do what they did. Even _I'm_ better than that. I doubt anyone would treat their child or their sibling the way I was treated. It was just cruel and evil and hurtful! They deserved what they got! They deserve worse! They sold me like I was nothing more than a sheep or a cow!

I was shaking and clenching my fists. I took a deep, shaky breath and unclenched my fists. My knuckles regained their colour and the nail marks in my palms quickly began to fade. Everyone was watching me. I could feel their eyes staring at me and I could sense them judging me, just like they always do.

"Thalia, are you alright?" Hayden asked me, breaking the silence.

"Let's just get this over with," I muttered. I took a sip of wine and my mouth started to burn. I swallowed it, which burned my throat. "Did you put vervain in the wine? Nice try, but I'm used to it. So many people have tried it before and no one's managed to succeed to actually hurt me."

Eric glared at Lucas, who had a smug smile on his face. Before anyone could say anything, about five waiters came out with our food. I was grateful for that. The sooner this dinner is over, the better. I just want to find that stake and burn it.

When the food was put down, I almost smiled. In front of me was a small pepperoni pizza and all pizza is good. If you think about it, pizza is healthy. It has bread, and it can have vegetables on it or meat and it has cheese, which is good for you. If you're allergic to cheese, you can have egg on it instead.

Everyone began eating immediately, which was good. No one can be rude while we're eating without opening their mouths and having all of the food spill out. Even my family have better manners than that, which is hard to believe.

After about fifteen minutes, everyone had finished their mini pizza. Seeing how everyone was dressed in fancy clothes, I was expecting a three-course meal. I was relieved when I discovered that was the only meal we were having tonight. I don't think I'd have room for anything that isn't cake or more pizza or cookies.

"Well, this has been lovely, but I really must be going," I said, going to stand up.

"Stay seated," Hunter instructed, coldly. "Thalia, it's been 1000 years and none of us have received an apology for turning us and killing our parents -"

"Hey, I didn't get one either," I interrupted. "I was just told I was a monster, but then the spell to kill us all didn't work and so the two people who were trying to kill us ran before we killed the witch. The witch was the woman who turned me, who I once considered a mother-figure."

"As I was saying," Hunter continued, glaring at me. "We're meant to be a family and we've received no apology. You've ruined our lives and we've tried to ruin yours. We can end this all now if you just say a meaningful apology."

I looked over at Eric, who was shocked. This was clearly not apart of his lovely family dinner, and he didn't know what to do. I then glared at Hunter, who seemed proud of himself for trying to bring peace. It might've worked, if he had've asked properly.

"Oh, I ruined your life by making you immortal and strong and fast and powerful?" I questioned, trying to sound offended and not angry. "And you didn't ruin mine when you let our parents _sell me_?! Don't sit there and act like you're the victims when you wronged me! You got what you deserve!"

"You may be strong and powerful, but that doesn't balance out your terrible personality!" Hunter spat. I wanted to laugh. Are we insulting my personality now? How low. "You're still a murderous bitch and it'll never change! You enjoy killing people because your a sociopath and because you started young!"

Eric looked like he wanted to cry. It had been alright until now, and I felt bad about ruining it for him, but I have to defend myself. I won't apologise for something that I did with good reason. At least now I know that Hunter is just as bad as the rest of them.

"Sorry that I had to ruin your dinner, Eric, but I won't take this," I apologised. "The rest of you can choke on your own idiocy."

I stood up and Hayden got up to join me. I placed my hand on his shoulder, to signal that he shouldn't move. Then I looked over at Eric, who had regained his senses and was unsure of what to do. He got to his feet and I sighed.

"I'll show you out," he insisted.

Eric followed me as I stormed off, towards the door on the far side of the room. Hayden looked furious and stormed off, towards his bedroom. I didn't have time to worry about him. I just want to go home.

When I got to the front door, Eric grabbed my arm. I spun to face him, ready to kick his ass if it were what I have to do. He seemed upset and I softened a little, but not enough to show it. I'm angry and I deserve to be.

"I'm sorry, Thalia," he told me. "Truly. This wasn't meant to happen."

"Yeah, I know," I said.

With that, I stormed out the door and towards my car.

Tears stung my eyes as I stumbled through the hallways to find Klaus. Right now I just need him to sit with me and let me cry on his shoulder for a while. I wasn't upset over the dinner, only over the horrible memories it brought up.

When my childhood was brought up, all of the memories of the horrible things I've seen and done came flooding back to me. It's not fun or enjoyable to have your mental wall crumble and crush you with all of the memories and emotions you thought you had gotten rid of. It's not good for your mental state either.

One memory was slowly burning it's way into my mind. As soon as it happened, I had to speak about it. From then on, I pretended it never happened. I pretended that my only friend, the only one who stood up and protected me, was not in my fight. He was not in my battle to the death. I refused to admit it.

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _According to my instructors, this is the last battle I have to compete in. Of course, I could choose to stay here and fight until I become the champion and gain freedom, but it's not what I want. The sooner I can leave this place, the better._

 _Ben, who's name is actually Benedict although he hates it, is my only friend here. He's preparing for a battle somewhere else. Hopefully he is in the battle after me. We are both going to be free after this and instead of doing what we are trained to do, we are going to run away._

 _We aren't allowed to wear armour and we're only allowed one weapon. I had picked a dagger because I look weak and scrawny. Most of the people are trained just to take out their targets and then to get out of the situation by doing whatever it takes, so that is what they bring to the pits._

 _You see, we're trained to kill people in different ways so it's harder to say what company we're under. It also protects our clients. You're either going to shoot them with an arrow or a poison dart, take them out with brute strength, or use your cunning to weave your way into their house and then poison them. I am trained to do the third._

 _I wore my normal clothes, which allowed movement and comfort. The dagger was well-concealed in my right sleeve, for easy access. My shoes are sturdy and everything I am wearing makes me look weaker and scrawnier. If you don't train for that technique, you will not know of it._

 _One of the instructors was leading me to the pits. It's do or die out there, and it's very literal. Either you kill all of your oponents or you die yourself. We're trained to build up walls so we think nothing about it, but when you're training to be cunning and to use your mind, you think about it a lot._

 _Sometimes the instructors play favourites and put one kid in with a group that they think they know the kid can slaughter. That happened to me in my first fight. Unknown to the instructors, I was using a bit of magic to stay hidden. When the kid began to torture a girl of about five, I snapped and killed him, then I killed the girl out of mercy. She begged me to._

 _From then on, I've only used my magic when I have to because I know I'll be killed if I use it. I learned it from watching a kid be hung for using his. He was older than I am and he accidentally used it. No one cared as he cried and tried to explain it. No one ever cares._

 _When I reached the door to the fighting pit, I could see the top on the other side. People were waiting to see us so they could bet on who would win. No one would bet on me. They never do and it's hilarious if only one person does and ends up with quite a lot of money._

 _The gates lifted and we all walked in. As soon as I was in the fighting pit, I pressed my back against the wall and tried to draw no attention to myself. It worked, as everyone else ran forward and got ready to slaughter each other._

 _I liked to know who and what I was up against, so I looked around. There was three people here who trained in using far-distance weapons, five brute strength... and Ben. Ben was stuck here with the rest of us. He knows the tactics we're expected to use, but he ignores them when he fights._

 _For a second, he looked at me. Then he stabbed a young boy in the throat with his sword, spinning not a second later to kill the person who had tried to sneak up on him. Before long, there was only three of us left._

 _Slowly, I moved around in the shadows. I was hoping this third opponent would knock Ben out and then think that he's dead so he and I could both live. I had no such luck, as Ben killed him with brute force, seeing how his sword was stuck in someone's stomach._

 _I can't kill Ben. He's my only friend. He protected me for my first year in this hell! Then we took turns in protecting each other! We are a family! Both of us want to run away and start our own families, who will be neighbours and best friends! This can't happen! I won't let it!_

 _"Thalia, you have to kill me," Ben insisted, dropping to his knees in defeat. "Please. Just do it quickly."_

 _I'm only thirteen and he's fifteen! We don't deserve to die! No one does! He can live! At least Ben has a family who loves him! The only reason he's here is because he was stolen! He could return to them and tell them how much he loves them!_

 _"No," I muttered. Then I turned and looked up at the spectators and began to scream at them,"NO! I will not do it!" I turned my dagger on myself and pressed it to my chest, over my heart. "Either we both leave here or I don't and I'm not dying at the hands of anyone but myself!"_

 _"Please don't do this," Ben begged. "Just kill me and you can leave and live happily, just like we talked about. I want you to be happy. Happiness is an old friend of mine. You've only had short moments with it. Go and claim what is rightfully yours."_

 _I got ready to press the dagger into my heart. Everyone had gone silent, apart from Ben who was still pleading with me. I had to ignore him or I would never do this. What will it matter? I'm nothing. I'm just a ghost. A ghost who never leaves the shadows._

 _"Thalia!" One of the two men who run this snapped. He was one of the two men who came to collect me. "You have to win this! Your talent is needed here! All you have to do is push the emotion away! We know you can do this! Push it all away!"_

 _"Listen to him, Thalia," Ben insisted, getting to his feet and moving towards me._

 _Slowly, he took my dagger from me. I waited for him to quickly kill me with it, but that never happened. Instead, he took my hands and placed the dagger in them. Then he leveled the dagger with his heart and stood the right distance away for me to kill him with ease._

 _A large group of the many servants had gathered around and were all in tears. These men and women were allowed to cry and to understand what was going on. Everyone else was mildly annoyed. I knew what this emotion was meant to be, but I couldn't remember the name._

 _"Bloody hell, just kill me already. It shouldn't be hard." Ben laughed, his eyes crinkling and throwing his head back a bit. His brown eyes looked warm and matched his dark brown hair and tanned skin. "Just do it."_

 _"I can't," I whispered, admitting it. "I can't do it."_

 _Ben looked me in the eyes and placed his hands over my own. He was so strong and brave and I don't know whether I want to kiss him or hit him for making me feel like this. This was the emotion called love. I loved him the way a sister would, but I confused that for the other kind of love at that age._

 _"I love you and out of your love for me, you'll do this. You'll drive that dagger through my heart, get that revenge you want, and then live a happy life." Ben paused. "Thank you, Thalia. For giving me what I never had: someone who really cared about me because I'm me, not the eldest son or the favourite winner."_

 _Taking a deep breath, I pressed my lips to Ben's. He kissed back, but then I thrusted the dagger into his heart._

 _I let out a little squeak as I backed away. Tears immediately began to sting my eyes, but it took me a few moments to realise what I had done. I had killed him. The only person who truly cared for me was dead._

 *****END OF FLASHBACK*****

I told Klaus everything, even the part where I confused the two types of love. Just thinking about all of the good times with Ben made me happy. We were the only family each other had, but we made it work. I miss him, but I can't think of him any more.

Klaus held me as I stopped crying and for a while longer, as my eyes dried. I knew that the wall would be back up tomorrow, but moments of vulnerability like this are better spent with someone else. Despite the evil, cruel, horrible things I've done, I like it when people know about them...


	9. Dance, Dance

Somehow, Rebekah had talked Evil-Alaric into giving her the white oak stake, then convinced Klaus to stay and go to the Decade Dance. After that, she did the impossible and convinced me to attend that stupid dance too. I was meant to call Caroline and ask if she knew anyone that didn't have a date, so I was about to do that.

Klaus and I had agreed not to talk about last night unless I said he could. It was a touchy subject and it'll always been that way. Only Kol knows everything. He's always been there for me and he's the only one who hasn't betrayed me.

Despite the fact that Kol and I usually only work for ourselves, we made an agreement not to betray the other person, unless it had more to do with someone else. So far neither of us have broken our word, which is surprising. I almost did, but I found another way.

I was standing in my room, going through a box of my old dresses from the 1920s. There was only two that were up to my standard, weren't torn or worn out, and didn't have blood stains on them. Last time I had this box open, I had to kill someone and it got a bit messy.

My choices were both pretty. One was a silver flapper dress that either looks like the actual jewellery silver or like the stars at night, or an ivory-coloured dress that was beaded. After a little while, I decided on going with the flapper so no one would question whether or not it's from the right decade.

Then I placed it on my bed, put the rest away and picked up my phone. I had Caroline's number, but I know Hayden would be there, as would most of my siblings. I could keep up the act, or I could possibly stay protected by whoever I went with.

I sighed and sat down on my bed, next to the dress. Hayden is a warlock, Caroline will stand with me, and all those who know Caroline will have no choice. That, and I'm stronger than my siblings. I've been stronger than all of them since my birth. Why seem weak now?

I picked up my phone and called Hayden. Just before I hung up, he answered his phone. I'm impatient and I know I should wait, but I don't like to.

" _Thalia, what's up?_ " Hayden greeted.

"Hey, uh, are you going to the Decade Dance tonight?" I asked. "It's just that a friend of mine asked me to go and I'd like to go to someone. Getting horny teenage boys to leave you alone is easier when you have a date and if my siblings are there, I'd like some proper back-up."

" _I wasn't going to go, but I guess I'll go with you_ ," Hayden said. " _You wouldn't happen to have anything that I could wear, would you_?"

"What would you do without me? Come over as soon as you can. We've only got two hours to prepare ourselves."

With that, I hung up and went looking for Klaus. He and Hayden were the same height, which worked well. If not, we have a few of Elijah's and they would fit him with a bit of work.

Klaus was in his room, looking at all the suits he had. When I walked in, he spun around and smirked. I smiled back and then walked over to where he put all of the suits down. He had a cream suit that was white in some light. It had always looked good on him.

"You should wear this one," I told him. "It always made you look even more handsome."

"Why are you here because it's not to help me pick a suit?" Klaus asked.

"Hayden's taking me to the dance," I said. "Before you get all jealous and sulk again, you never asked me. I need to borrow a suit for him to wear."

"Go ahead. Are you keeping up the act or is it because of your siblings?"

"I suppose it's both. Now, I'm going to borrow the grey one. Thank you."

I kissed Klaus on the cheek, took the grey suit, and then went back to my room. I put the suit next to my dress and then used my heightened speed to get to the door, as someone knocked on it. It was Hayden and he seemed uncomfortable, but I didn't ask.

We both walked upstairs and to my room. When I handed him the suit, he looked at it and then smiled. I showed him where the bathroom was and waited for him to change before I got myself ready.

Hayden walked out of the bathroom, but I didn't look at him. I wanted it to be a surprise when we were both done. When I imagined him in the suit, he looked handsome and like he was from the decade. He was going to look nice, of course, but I think he'll look handsome.

When I was finished getting dressed, I curled my hair and put it in a low bun and then let strands of it sit beside my face. After that, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled to myself. I looked lovely, if I do say so myself.

The silver dress made my violet eyes shine and look paler than usual. My black hair actually managed to work with the silver, which oddly complimented my pale skin. For some reason, I look better now than I did in the 1920s.

As I walked out of my bathroom, I found Hayden looking at one of the old photos of Klaus and I. He was looking at one from one of the last weeks the Originals spent in New Orleans. The article was to do with the generosity of the Mikaelson-Ashwood family. I looked truly happy there, and I was.

Hayden turned and I studied him closely. The suit fit perfectly and looked quite nice, and didn't need a tie. In fact, a tie would ruin the look of the suit. He was staring at me, but I brushed it off and walked over to him.

"Uh, Klaus was looking for you," Hayden told me.

"Alright," I said. "Meet me outside. We'll take your car."

Hayden headed towards the stairs while I went to Klaus' room. When I walked in, he had put the cream suit on and was looking at himself in the mirror. I laughed at him, which got his attention.

"You look quite dapper," I told Klaus, honestly.

"Well, you look beautiful so I suppose you win this round," Klaus joked. "I was wondering if you thought it looked good, but now I know the answer."

"You always look handsome, Klaus. There's no point in asking whether or not you look good if it's going to be a yes."

"Are you trying to flatter me?" Klaus walked up to me and we stood close to each other. "That's odd for you. Who dares to possess the body of Thalia Ashwood."

"No one. They're not strong enough. No one is."

Sometimes I don't think, and this was one of those moments. Klaus and I were making eye-contact and he leaned down. I stretched up and kissed him before I knew what I was doing. He kissed back, but that was when I realized what I had just done and pulled away.

Now I was flustered and it was really awkward. Klaus watched me closely and then laughed. He knew that I did things like this at times. I was really only unsure of what to do because I had told myself that I wasn't going to keep having these feelings for Klaus.

Ugh. Why do I always do something stupid like this? Having feelings for Klaus went badly before - when I almost died for that idiot - so what's stopping it from going badly again?

"That was nice," Klaus said. "You should go and see your date. He's probably getting impatient."

I muttered an agreement and then used my heightened speed to get out of there. Hayden was by his car, and as Klaus had expected, he was becoming impatient. He smiled when he saw me and we both got into his car.

We drove to Mystic Falls High School in silence. Hayden was focused on driving and I was focused on remembering the way there, just in case I had to run back home. It was a comfortable silence, but it was silence all the same.

When we arrived at the school, I mentally prepared myself. This was either going to go well or terribly. From what I've heard, Elena and her friends don't have the best luck with dances. If they're there, we're all going to have a terrible time.

Hayden took my arm as we walked into the dance. The doors were held open and I felt the eyes of a few people drift towards us. There's no doubt they all know Hayden, but the fact that no one here knows me drew even more attention.

"Hayden!" One teenage boy called, jogging over.

Within a few seconds, at least ten teenage boys had crowded around us and were hi-fiving Hayden as well as talking to him. I hid how uncomfortable I felt and just stood there, unsure of what exactly you do in these situations. High school is a new experience for me.

"Who's the hot girl?" One guy asked, doing the whole smirk and raise eyebrows in interest thing.

"Thalia Ashwood," I answered, before Hayden could. "If you'd excuse me, I have to go and find a friend of mine." I turned to Hayden and smiled fakely. "I'll see you again later, yeah?"

Hayden agreed before I walked off, leaving him with his friends. I walked around until I found Caroline talking to Matt. I walked over and smiled at them both, trying my best to seem as nice as I can without being creepy or weird.

"Hey Thalia," Matt greeted, calmly. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"Yeah, well, Rebekah begged me to show up and I don't think she's even here herself," I explained. "I don't suppose you two came here together?"

"No, we're both here alone," Caroline said. "Are you here with someone? Maybe you and Matt could be here together."

"I came with Hayden," I told her, forgetting to add the last name.

"Silvetti?" Matt asked, a lot more interested then he was before. "As in the royalty of this school? He's got more power than anyone. Everyone in the school looks up to him. Girls want to date him, guys want to be him, and a lot of people wouldn't mind stabbing him."

"So, he's like the Regina George of Mystic Falls," I stated, calmly. "Well, he could've told me that. I like it when I know the person well enough to know their social status."

As if our conversation summoned him, Hayden showed up with a few of his friends. Caroline and Matt both stood up straighter and smiled at him. I laughed at them as Hayden put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"Hey Hayden," both Caroline and Matt muttered, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"Matt, Caroline," he acknowledged. "You both look well. I trust you're enjoying senior year." Watching this was like watching Game of Thrones. It's a battle of who can be faker with an angry undertone. "It's still such a shame that you two stood with Elena Gilbert. You could've stood with me, but you didn't."

"Can you do this when I'm not here?" I requested. "I wish to be friends with all three of you."

Hayden was seeming weak in front of his friends, so he was cocky and confident. He was the stereo- typical popular guy: cocky, confident, and rude to those who are under him. However, he couldn't mess with Matt and Caroline too badly because it would be a battle of popularity.

"Are we just friends now?" Hayden asked, amused. "I don't take girls to the dance, but I'm here with you. I think that makes us a bit more than friends, Thalia. Let's dance."

He took my hand and dragged me to the middle of the dance floor. Everyone parted for us, all because Hayden is the Regina George of this place. It's sort of funny, but it's also really sad. Hayden's going to have to spend his last year pretending to be someone he's not, whether it's outside of school or in it.

An upbeat song just ended, allowing a slow song to begin. Hayden pretended to be annoyed, but as he pulled me close, I sensed that he didn't mind. We danced in silence for a few beats, getting used to the feeling of everyone staring at us.

"You have a lot to tell me," I stated, as we danced. "Like the Elena thing, and explaining what all of your popularity will mean for me. Am I just another girl for them to see you with before you cast me aside?"

"It's nothing like that," Hayden insisted. "I don't take anyone to the dance, so we're both going to be the subject everyone's talking about. Maybe if you weren't the only girl who's managed to impress me and give me her number in a semi-normal way then you wouldn't be in the middle of this, but it's too late to back out now."

"You could've asked any girl in the school, so why did you ask me?" I asked.

"You're pretty, classy, and radiate confidence as well as power. That's what I wanted to get Alice to stop bugging me about Lili. Then I heard that my parents were coming to visit and there's this girl from where I used to live and I think you can figure out the rest. I still need your help, Thalia. You're good at keeping it strictly business, despite the whole fake-girlfriend thing. The kiss was pretty good though."

I thanked Hayden as he spun me around and pulled me back in. I looked over his shoulder and froze for a split-second. However, that second was long enough for Hayden to notice that something was up. He turned and saw Klaus speaking to Caroline.

We both watched them as they started to dance. Caroline wasn't happy about it, but Klaus was. In his eyes was an adoring look. I'd been given that look once, back in New Orleans. We were in love then. It was known to everyone that we loved each other and that we were together.

Kol had warned me about this. He told me Klaus had a wandering eye and I just ignored him. Even the noble Elijah agreed with his cocky, naughty little brother who causes havoc. Elijah told me that Klaus will love me one decade and leave me the next. Now I know it's true.

Hayden looked at me and there was a sad glint in his eyes. When I turned to look at him, he turned his head and looked away. Before anything awkward could happen or be said, Damon showed up. I was happy to see him for the first time since I came back.

"You need to come with me," Damon told me, looking me in the eyes. "We have a little situation. Esther came back to town and I think you should see this for yourself. Your friend can go talk to other people."

"Damon, if this is a situation with Esther and her magic, Hayden can help," I insisted. "He's a warlock. I can help too. There's something I've been practising."

"Just come with me," Damon instructed, not really caring.

Hayden and I followed Damon outside. We followed him until he suddenly stood still. I tried to continue on, but I hit a barrier. Hayden could keep going, which meant there was a barrier spell to keep all of us vampires in.

I swore loudly and kicked the air, which just ended up jarring my leg and hurting a hell of a lot. Hayden walked back over and looked all around. He seemed to be following something, but I was focusing on healing my leg. That's a good thing about being an Original vampire: you can heal even faster with a bit of thought.

"There's a salt ring," Hayden pointed out.

"Yeah, we know and we can't get past it or even touch it," Damon grumbled. "We're going to see Bonnie and maybe you can work something out."

We were led back inside and then down a few hallways. No one spoke. It was too tense of a time. It's clear that Hayden knows who Esther is because he seems nervous, as he should be. If I were anyone but myself, I would be nervous too.

Damon, Hayden and I entered a classroom where Klaus, Bonnie, Stefan and Jeremy were all waiting. I also spotted another young man who I had seen Bonnie dancing with. My natural assumption is that he was her date for tonight and it's soon going to be over because he'll probably die.

Everyone looked at Hayden and I. Bonnie and her friend didn't know who I am, and I don't think Jeremy does either. Elena and I have met briefly and I hated her already, but I know everyone else here. They didn't seem happy to see me, especially Klaus.

"Well, I assume we all know Hayden because Klaus and Damon have met him and the rest of you go to school with him," I stated. "As for me, I'm Thalia Ashwood. I'm the other Original Hybrid, but I'm the one with magic."

"Well, this is Jaime, this is Jeremy, and this is Bonnie Bennett," Stefan told me.

"Why is _he_ here?" Bonnie asked, referring to Hayden, who she'd been glaring at since we entered the room.

"I figured you could use another warlock, seeing how we're undoing a spell made by one of the most powerful witch anyone's ever heard of," Hayden said, coolly. "If you want, I can just stand in the corner and back you up if I see you struggle."

Bonnie didn't say anything and just glared at Hayden, which added even more tension to the room and made it really awkward. They were over-thinking all of this. What if we don't need to undo the spell? What if we just break the ring of salt? It works in Supernatural.

"Uh, I don't know if any of you have thought of this, but why don't we get Matt or Jeremy to go and try to break the ring of salt?" I asked.

"We tried," Jeremy muttered.

"Well, there's my plan gone," I said, sitting on a desk. "Continue with your little spell."

Bonnie turned her glare on me and I just smiled and waved at her by wiggling my fingers. I saw that she was annoyed with me and I had to hold back a laugh. She lit about seven candles and then began to chant an undoing spell.

We all sat in silence for a few minutes, which was quite calming. I didn't even try to help Bonnie and it was clear that Hayden had no intention to unless he was asked by Bonnie herself. I didn't know a thing about their hatred of each other, but I assume it has to do with Elena.

"She does this all the time, right?" Jaime asked, getting worried and breaking the silence.

"What's taking so long?!" Klaus snapped, getting impatient. "All boundary spells have a loop hole."

Not if they have a binding agent, like salt. For the past few minutes that's what I've been thinking about. I didn't want to say anything, just in case Bonnie was getting close to finishing the spell, but I should say it soon. It's an ancient spell, but if I know it then so will Esther.

Matt walked into the room, looking confused and a bit annoyed. He was probably dragged into this all of the time, seeing how he's the only one who can do anything when we're stuck behind a barrier. If I were human, I would've walked away from this a long time ago.

"People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier," he informed us.

"Matt and I can leave," Jeremy pointed out. "We can stop Esther. We just have to find out where she is."

"It's suicide, Jeremy," Stefan said.

Klaus decided to be a complete fool and grab Jaime by the throat and began to strangle him. Caroline and Tyler are here, and that's the reason Bonnie's doing the spell in the first place. She doesn't give a damn about any other vampires and she can just walk out with Jeremy, Matt and Jaime. Hayden would leave too, but at a different time.

"Suicide would be disappointing me!" Klaus hissed. "Now work your magic, or I'll start killing people you fancy!"

"Let him go!" Bonnie yelled.

"Not until you get us out of here!" Klaus yelled back.

"Ah, don't be stupid, Klaus," Stefan said, beginning to say what everyone was thinking. "Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us. The only reason she's helping us right now is to save Caroline and Tyler. If you start killing the people she cares about, she'll tell us all to go to hell."

Klaus let go of Jaime and numerous people breathed out a breath I doubt they knew they were holding. For a split second I thought Klaus was going to sit down and shut up, but of course not. No, he grabbed Hayden by the throat and began to strangle him instead.

This time I was the only one to get to their feet. I ran at Klaus, but stopped when he gripped Hayden's throat even tighter. He had a cruel look in his eyes and I didn't know what to do. I don't beg, but I can't see any other way to save Hayden, who I've come to like.

"Klaus!" I cried out. "Let him go!"

"I figure that I may as well kill this warlock because Bonnie hates him and maybe it will help her focus," Klaus told me, grinning cruelly. "That, and I don't like the way he looks at you. He's just going to use you and then break your heart. He's probably working with your siblings."

Hayden was clawing at Klaus' hand, but it wasn't doing anything. Anger was surging through me and I knew Hayden didn't have long before he passed out. If he passes out, he has about thirty seconds until he dies.

"You're just jealous!" I spat. "You want Caroline, but you want me at the same time! You don't like the fact that if Caroline doesn't love you, I might be with someone else so you don't have a back-up! Well, I'm sick of being your back-up! So let him go or I'll make sure you can never receive someone else's love again!"

Klaus gripped even tighter and Hayden's eyes were basically bulging out of his head. Tears began to prick my eyes when I realised that my words had meant nothing to Klaus and had just made him want to kill Hayden more. Hayden had stood by me more than Klaus has the past few days.

If I didn't do something, Klaus would kill another person I'd begun to fancy all because he thought he'd get something out of it. He wasn't going to get the satisfaction this time. I wouldn't let him. I would rather die then let him.

All of my negative thoughts surged through me and before I knew what I was doing, power left me and wrapped itself around Klaus. Shadows surged around Klaus and forced him to let go of Hayden as he fell to his knees, clearly in pain. As I moved closer, his pain intensified.

I knew what I was doing and I knew how to control it, but I didn't want to. A part of me wanted Klaus to be in pain forever. It was a small part, but with this much power, it was strong. However, I took a really deep breath and tried to stop it. When the shadows withdrew and curled back into hiding, relief washed over me.

There was now a chill in the room and no one seemed to know what to do. I ignored everyone and then went to Hayden's side. He was still gasping for air, but his breathing was improving immensely. For a second, he pulled away, but then realized I just wanted to help.

"We're going to go outside," Hayden croaked, getting to his feet.

I got up and followed Hayden down the hallway. There was surprise and fear in his eyes. I didn't know what that magic had been, but I knew it was dangerous and it was why he was afraid. Now the person I had gone against Klaus for fears me.

Hayden slid down a locker and sat on the floor. Unsure of what else to do, I joined him on the floor. He put his arm around me and it was then that I realized I was actually cold for once. There was still a sliver of ice in my veins and it wasn't pleasant or normal.

"So, your parents are coming to town," I said, trying to keep the conversation off of my magic. "Do I need to act as your girlfriend again?"

"If you don't mind, that would be great," he confirmed. "They have a winter holiday house here in Mystic Falls and they think I'm living there. They'll be here next week, if you don't mind helping me out again. I can explain it all at a better time."

"Are they witches too?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't demonstrate your magic and act as if you hate being a vampire if they happen to find out what you are."

"So they're the typical vampire-hating witches. It's a good thing I like to be challenged."

Bonnie managed to undo the barrier spell, so now Klaus and I were going to pick up Esther's body from the Salvatore crypt. Hayden and I had spent about an hour talking about random things. There were so many topics that were talked about and I'd really enjoyed it.

As I walked through the cemetery, I refused to talk to Klaus and he refused to speak to me. We walked up to the Salvatore crypt, where everyone was speaking to him. He's an Original Vampire now, but he's not going to go through with the transition. I respect him for that.

Esther's body was laying on the steps of the crypt. I laughed because we had won. Again. Two for the Originals and none for Esther.

"Ding dong the witch is dead," I said, half-jokingly.

"Do you have no tact?" Klaus asked, still annoyed.

"Do you not know how to control your homicidal urges?" I countered, refusing to allow him to be mean to me without me sassing him back.

Alaric was clearly upset, so I left Klaus to get Esther's body and walked over to him. The guy was going to die a horrid death. If he managed this, he would sit in that crypt all night and through to tomorrow and would die of such a terrible hunger. Once I went two weeks without feeding and I destroyed a town, but I could control myself by then.

Damon was more upset than anyone, but he hid it. Alaric was probably his only friend, so I touched his shoulder lightly and gave him a reassuring smile. He tried to smile back, but it didn't work too well and he just looked even sadder.

Everyone let me move past as I walked over to Alaric. They were all going to do their own thing now, so it didn't really matter. Alaric had said his goodbyes and his friends and family had said their's. At least he had that freedom.

"Hey," I said, walking over. "Sorry that this had to happen to you. You seem like a nice guy. I'm not here to taunt you or anything. I just wanted to farewell someone who seems to deserve better."

"Wait," Alaric insisted, before I left. "Listen, I don't know if Esther's strong enough to contact you now that she's really dead, but you need to be careful. I want everyone safe and if Esther really did mean it when she said you could be persuaded to join me, you need to fight whatever she tries to do."

I nodded, smiled and then walked away. Part of me wanted to pretend that I had never heard that and that I didn't understand. However, my logic was currently in control and I knew exactly what it all meant. I just didn't want to sit in my room and think about it or tell Klaus, who would just scream at me and hate me even more.

Instead of going back home, I used my vampire speed to run around for a while. All I need to do is tire myself out so I don't have to think about this until tomorrow. I don't want to think about this until at least tomorrow.

For some reason, I found myself outside a house with only one window lit. Hayden was inside. I could hear him on the phone. I don't know how the hell I'd found him, but I did and I may as well tell him what was going on. Maybe he could help.

When I knocked on the door, he answered it almost immediately. Hayden's hair was messy and he held his phone in his hand. I glanced at it and saw that he was about to call me. Tears filled his eyes and he looked truly frightened and upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, pushing all of my worries away.

"My parents are coming in two days now," he muttered, but that wasn't what was bothering him. "Carter just called me and said that he never wants to see me again." Hayden smiled a broken smile. "He told me I had to make a choice between him and your siblings, or you. I thought he was joking. I thought we were better friends than this."

Hayden began to break down and I took his hand, then stepped inside. I pulled him into a hug. He had to lean down to cry into my shoulder, but he did it anyway. I just held him as he cried, somehow knowing that he would do the same for me.

Everything about Hayden felt right. From the way he looked at me to the way he smiled, even if he was just distracted. He was normal and popular and obviously handsome, although sometimes he tries to hide it.

"Before Alice came to town, we were best friends," Hayden continued, his voice raw with emotion. "We were going to stay here and go to Whitmore College together. I moved to this place because he had no other choice and we were like brothers! How could he do this to me?!"

Hayden's sobs were heart-wrenching. Ever time a sob escaped, his entire body would shudder and he would have to take a deep breath straight after. We moved to the couch, where he laid down and then pulled me against him, but I let him.

When he stopped crying, I turned to face him and looked him in his beautiful eyes, which had turned green. His eyes were red and puffy, but he was still handsome and strong. If only Carter could see what he would miss.

"He'll realize what Alice and my siblings are doing, and then he'll come and apologize and beg for you to forgive him," I told Hayden. "Until then, you act like nothing is wrong. Hopefully he'll act like you two are still best friends in front of your parents. If not, I'll compel him to."

Hayden muttered a thank you and pressed his lips to my cheek before pulling me into a hug...


	10. Why Don't They Die Easy

I woke up and immediately tried to shut my eyes again. Hayden's arms weren't motivation to lay there, awake and comfortable, so I was just going back to sleep. My hair was probably a mess and I probably looked like a mess, still wearing my flapper dress from last night.

Not even the smell of pancakes was enough motivation. Before I could fall asleep again, someone tried to call me. I sighed, slid from the couch to the floor and then picked up my phone. It was Klaus, who was the last person I wanted to speak to, but I was going to anyway.

Hayden walked into the room as I answered my phone. He just smiled at me as I ran my fingers through my hair, surprisingly finding fewer knots than usual. Klaus didn't say anything at first. All I heard was the sound of Klaus yelling at his hybrids and calling them useless fools.

" _Thalia,_ love, _we have an issue_ ," Klaus told me, angrily. " _Alaric Saltsman is now an Original vampire, so we're fleeing town before he can kill us. I suggest you come home before I have the hybrids move your things. I know how you hate that, so I've held them off for now_."

"Gee, thanks for asking me whether or not I wanted to leave," I said, sarcastically. "Klaus, I'm not going with you. I don't _want_ to go with you. When we get Alaric out of the way, and I know that we will, there's a chance that I can be happy here. I have friends here. It's a close community and it's what I need."

" _I'm not saving you if Alaric tries anything!_ " Klaus hissed through the phone.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't expect you to go out of your way to save me, the way I did for you." The sarcasm in my voice was obvious, as was my bitterness. "I assume you'll try to take Elena or get her blood for your hybrids before you leave, so tell the Salvatores that I'm helping. Also, I want a hybrid to drop over some clothes for me. I'll text you the address."

Before Klaus could get angry or complain, I hung up and groaned loudly, but texted him the address anyway. Hayden had heard everything that I had said and he looked concerned, which made me feel odd. I got to my feet, fixed up my dress and then walked over to him.

"I have breakfast ready," he muttered. "I made pancakes."

I followed Hayden to his kitchen, which had a dining table in the same room and looked out, onto their property. There was a semi-circle of trees, but in the middle of them, with a shade over the top and a glass fence all the way around was a large pool. If I had to make a guess, I would say it was just under the size of an olympic swimming pool.

His kitchen bench was black marble. On it, sat two plates with a stake of pancakes on them. We only had three each, but it was well-prepared. There were strawberries next to it. On the dining table was a can of whipped cream, syrup, half a lemon and honey.

We both sat down and I noticed that there was a cup of coffee in front of me. It was hot and brewed just the way I liked it. Well, I like all types of coffee, but this one was really nice and clearly expensive. This is the life I could be living, but using my own money.

I think we came to a silent agreement not to ruin breakfast because it was really good. Whether or not Hayden made these pancakes or bought them doesn't matter because they were beautiful. It was like I'd died and gone to heaven, just to be reborn again by the taste of these marvellous things.

When we had both finished, it was clear that Hayden was full. Technically I could eat all I want because it just dissolves in my stomach because of the acid from what is meant to be venom. When a vampire bites you, there's a bit of venom so it doesn't hurt if you just let us feed and if you struggle, it hurts more than it should.

"That was amazing," I told him, taking a sip of coffee. "If you made that yourself then you should become a chef and open a restaurant that sells mainly pancakes."

"It's the only thing I can really cook," Hayden said. There was a silence before he looked up at me. "So, are you going to leave with Klaus? What's even going on? I only heard half of the conversation."

"Esther made Alaric Saltsman into an Original Vampire who can't be killed by the white oak stake," I explained. "He was going to die instead of turn, to save his friends and everyone he loves. Something happened and now he's immortal and after the rest of the Originals to kill us and get rid of all vampires."

"Intense," he muttered, more to himself than me. "What are you going to do? Wouldn't it be best to run?"

"No. I'm not going to run anymore. I like it here. This was where I was turned into a vampire. Mystic Falls is where I had my first proper kiss and I first really fell in love. I'm not going to let Alaric possibly destroy this town because of me. If I die, at least Klaus, Rebekah, Kol and Elijah will be long gone and he'll have to chase them, saving the town from the destruction that would follow my death."

Hayden looked sad, but he didn't say anything. We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. The only thing that broke the silence was someone knocking on the door. Knowing it was for me, I got up and went to answer it.

The hybrid standing at the door went to open his mouth, but I grabbed my clothes and ignored him. I'm not going to waste my time talking to a hybrid. I've got to get dressed and ready, then go and find one of the two Salvatore brothers, if not both of them.

As I walked back into the kitchen, holding my clothes, I saw that Hayden had cleaned up. He was fast. I had to give him credit for this morning and how amazing it's been. It's such a shame that Alaric just had to ruin such a lovely moment.

"Where's your bathroom?" I asked, sheepishly.

Hayden gave me the directions, so I found it easily. Down the hall, first door on the right. It was really a simple direction and I was thankful for it. At least it's not like at Klaus' mansion where you have to go up the stairs, take a right, then another, take a left and then it's the third door on the right.

I changed as quickly as I could and used a comb to brush all of the knots out of my hair. When I dressed completely and was fine with my hair, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a blood red shirt, a pair of black skinny jeans, black combat boots and a black leather jacket. I was looking like I was ready to kick some ass, and I am.

When I walked out of the bathroom and back to the living room, where I had slept in Hayden's arms, I found him with tears in his eyes. Part of me told me to just go because I have to stop Alaric somehow. However, I couldn't just leave him in tears. That would make me an even worse person than I already am.

"Don't you dare die on me," Hayden told me, turning to face me. "Leave your stuff here. Klaus is leaving and you're not. If you're going to be my fake girlfriend, we're going to make it look like we're actually in love even though my parents aren't here yet. They're good at seeing through façades."

"So you're telling me that I'm moving in?" I questioned, a little confused and surprised by this new side of Hayden.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I'll get all of your stuff, even if that means a confrontation with Klaus. You just work on taking Alaric down and coming back safe. I need to keep my parents from forcing me into marriage and you're my way out. I always get what I want, Thalia. Don't screw it up for me."

I placed my things down, on the couch, as Hayden crossed the room. He angrily kissed me on the lips and then stormed off, down the hall. I called a goodbye and then left.

As I arrived at the Gilbert house, I found Klaus using a newspaper as a torch and holding an explosive propane tank. I'd never been so confused and annoyed in my life. Why the hell was Klaus going to burn down the Gilbert House? What if Elena was in there and hiding or something.

When I reached Klaus, Stefan stepped out, so the make-shift torch was put out and the propane tank was set down. There was tension in the air. I let out a breath I knew I was holding, although I wasn't too sure why I hadn't let it out earlier.

Stefan looked at me and nodded. I walked past Klaus and stood with Stefan, lightly touching him on the shoulder for a few seconds. He got the notion and nodded at me, appreciatively. Damon then smiled at me and it turned into a smug smirk as he looked at Klaus.

"Elena's not here," Stefan stated. "Alaric has her and Caroline and he's gonna kill them both unless you turn yourself over to him."

"Now, I know you're not asking me to walk into a certain death," Klaus said, sarcastically.

"I really wish we could," Stefan told Klaus, bitterly. "Unfortunately, if Alaric kills you there's a one in five chance that we die too."

It's actually one in four because there's no way in hell that I turned Scary Mary, or Mary Porter, which is her actual name. She was a real bitch and refused to leave the Originals alone. I had killed her, but I didn't give her my blood.

Damon walked out with a white picket from a fence over his shoulder. He had a smug look on his face as he stood between Klaus and I. Now he was in a better mood than ever, seeing how Klaus might die today.

"I'll take those odds," Damon decided, earning a pointed look from Stefan.

"And a hundred percent chance that Tyler dies," he added, trying to persuade his older brother.

"I'm good with that too," Damon stated.

"Why don't we just figure out a way to put Alaric down?" I asked, getting sick of that fact that all they were doing was bickering like an old couple. "I mean, we don't know how to kill him because the white oak stake sure as hell won't work, but I know it's not the only way. It can't be."

Klaus and Stefan began to pace, Damon leaned against his picket, and I stood with all of my weight on my left leg and tried to think of a way around this. When I was about three, I accidentally put one of the werewolves in the village in a coma. I hadn't meant to, but it just happened. Maybe there's a spell like that.

Before I could say anything, Klaus stopped pacing. He turned around and it was quite clear that he had an idea. Whether or not it is a good one is yet to be decided. I mean, it's either going to be really crap or really good.

"Okay, how about Damon sneaks in and distracts Alaric, while Stefan grabs Elena and carries her to safety?" Klaus suggested.

"Huh, that's a great idea," Damon said, sarcastically. "What's to stop me from getting killed instantly?"

"Thalia," Klaus stated. "Alaric didn't ask for her, which means he either wants to kill her last or he needs her. I'm willing to bet on the second one."

"Oh, it's great to know you value my life," I told him, sarcastically. "Caroline's in there. Don't you have a thing for her? Or did she just reject you too many times?"

"This isn't really helping too much," Stefan muttered.

"I might have an idea," Bonnie declared, walking out of the house. "My mum used a desiccation spell on Mikael that immobilized him for over fifteen years. If I can get it, I might be able to use it on Alaric."

"If and might?" Klaus questioned. "Your words inspire such confidence."

"I'll get it," Bonnie insisted. "But even with the spell, we'll need a lot of vampire muscle to take him down. Including yours. Thalia seems to be with us, so you're my only worry."

"Just so we're clear, the sun sets in eight hours," Klaus informed us all. "If we don't succeed before then, Elena will be dead, I'll be gone, and the rest of you will be left to fend for yourselves. Oh, and someone will need to take Thalia in. Have fun with that."

I bit my tongue and decided not to tell him about my arrangement with Hayden. It's something that he doesn't need to know and it's not important to him anyway. All I'm doing is moving in with a friend and acting as his girlfriend until his parents leave.

Somehow, I had ended up at the Salvatore Boarding House with Bonnie and Damon. Klaus and Stefan had gone to the high school, which I was thankful for. I didn't want to be around Klaus because he was in a worse mood than last night, after the whole magic thing.

As for Stefan, he's a little intense right now. I'm just trying to live and he's all stiff and still. It's scary and annoying at the same time, if that works somehow. Eh, I'm sure it does.

Damon and I were sitting in our own armchairs as Bonnie paced. Every few minutes Damon or I would make a remark about it. It was clearly getting on her nerves, but that doesn't matter. It was really a battle between Damon and I, centred around who can be more annoying.

There was a knock on the door, Damon made a remark about girl scouts, and then Bonnie left. That left Damon and I in the same room, which was surprisingly okay. We didn't have a remark to make about the other because we'd stayed out of each other's lives.

"So, where are you going to live now that you've been kicked out?" Damon asked, trying to make and maintain conversation.

"With a friend," I replied. "Hayden, if we're going to be exact. He's got a nice house and I'm helping him with something, which means I'll get a few favors in return. Well, it's assuming Alaric doesn't kill me first."

"Why aren't you leaving with Klaus?" Damon questioned, getting nosey. "Aren't you two best friends? Is he angry about the magic thing last night? That was pretty cool, by the way. You should share that gift with me so I can take down Klaus too."

I laughed and it wasn't half-heartedly for once. "It's a long story, but the magic thing just worsened the whole situation."

Both Damon and I could hear Bonnie talking to someone who I assumed was her mother, Abby. Abby seemed like a pretty terrible mum, even by my standards. I mean, at least my mum tried to look after me and didn't abandon my family.

Damon left me as I entered the parlour. He came in a second later with two glasses of blood. He was clearly keeping one for himself and I assumed the second was for Abby. She kept her gaze fixed on me from the moment I walked into the room.

"Blood?" Damon offered, but there was no answer. "Ah, come on. Think of it as a peace offering." Abby just stared at me. "Fine. More for me."

"The hell it is," I said, taking the second glass. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're Thalia Ashwood, aren't you?" Abby asked, shakily.

"The one and only," I replied, shooting Damon a smug smile, as if to say 'she knows who I am. I doubt she knew you immediately.'

There was an intense silence for a few moments. Damon sat next to Bonnie, who was watching her mother and I closely. In fact, everyone was now staring at me and it made me uncomfortable. I don't like it when I'm stared at. I have to fight the instinct to run.

"I've heard so much about you," she told me, making me feel even more uncomfortable. "I met up with a coven of witches after I desiccated Mikael. They told me all about you. Their leader was a vampire who claimed to be your sister."

There was another silence as I sat down next to Damon. I was stiff and ready to run or kill someone at a moment's notice. That was what I was trained to do and one thousand years isn't about to change that. It's a naturally uncomfortable situation anyway.

"We called you here because I need help with a spell," Bonnie stated, breaking the silence and walking over to her mother. "Esther created a vampire that can't be killed. I was to desiccate him like you did to Mikael."

"Bonnie, it's too dangerous," she insisted, her attention now moving to her daughter and off of me. "Your magic comes from the Earth. It's pure. This spell asks you to tap into dark places. Places of temptation, places you can't handle."

"You turned your back on me for sixteen years," Bonnie pointed out. "You have no idea what I can and can't handle."

"Gotta say, I'm team Bonnie on this one," Damon agreed, with me nodding too. "How hard can it be to parch a vampire?

"The spell allows you to stop a vampire's heart," Abby stated, pointlessly. "The blood will stop flowing and his body will desiccate."

"That's exactly what we want to do," I said, becoming bored.

"To stop a vampire's heart, you need to find a balance among the living. Can you handle that?"

Bonnie just stared at her mother. Damon was the only one who wouldn't understand what was just said because he's never been a witch or warlock. He was confused, but everyone else knew. It was similar to something I've seen before.

"What?" Damon asked, really confused. "What does that mean? I don't speak witch."

"I have to stop a human heart," Bonnie muttered.

This was not a good thing. Bonnie doesn't strike me as someone who could kill a dog by accident and just get over it, let alone purposely kill a person who she'll probably know somehow. I wasn't going to say anything, but I wanted to. I really, really wanted to.

Damon, Bonnie and I all walked up to where Jeremy was sitting on a table. This was the second time in under a day that I'd been here. I wasn't enjoying this whole high school thing, and I haven't even started yet.

Bonnie was on her phone. I assumed she was using find my iPhone because her phone was now able to find Elena's and Caroline's. From what I can see, they were in what was known as Alaric's classroom. It was closest to the south entrance, so we'd enter through there.

There was a remark made and a scoff as I sat on the table, next to Jeremy. He seemed uncomfortable to have me sit next to him, but I couldn't care less. Bonnie noticed this too, but clearly chose not to say anything. Damon just held out his hand and looked at the ring on Jeremy's finger.

"Hand it over," Damon commanded.

"I'm not giving you my ring," he argued. "Let me do this."

"By my math, you've already bit it once," Damon stated. "This will be twice, wearing that thing and if for some reason Bonnie can't restart your heart and you do indeed die, then before you know it, we have another psycho alter-ego case on our hands, which is bad. So give me the ring.

"Let him wear it, Damon," I said, looking him in the eyes and willing him to listen. "Alaric's died at least four times, from what I've heard. That, and Esther won't have nearly enough power to get to Jeremy just before he returns. If so, we'll compel him or something. There's always a loop hole."

Damon glared at me and Jeremy smiled smugly. Bonnie wasn't going to join this argument because it was obvious that she didn't want to kill anyone in the first place. She was nervous and for some reason, I felt like comforting her. Maybe it was the eyes.

"Fine," Damon said, sighing after. He then looked at Bonnie. "Try not to kill him, will you?"

As if summoned by the topic of killing, Klaus showed up with Stefan right behind him. Klaus was clearly bitter and in a terrible moves. His hybrids probably had to call him and tell him that a warlock was trying to get my stuff and was being stubborn about it.

"Look at this," Klaus muttered. "One big, happy family."

Bonnie pulled out a small vial with blood in it. It was her blood and I knew it because I had seen her put it in the vial. It was a tiny vial, but if no one got greedy then we'd be fine and we can stop Alaric. I want to be the one to kill him, but something felt off so I probably won't.

"Drink this," she instructed. "It's my blood. It bridges us all together so that when I stop Jeremy's heart, you'll have the power to stop Alaric's. You need to make a physical connection to his bloodstream; a vein, artery, something connected to his heart."

Damon took the vial and took a sip. He handed it to Stefan, so he did the same. Then it was handed to me and I drunk a little bit and managed to leave some for Klaus. Stefan nodded at me and smiled a little. I think he was trying to reassure me.

"If one of us gets a clean shot, take it," Stefan instructed. "The other two can hold him down and we'll have a back-up no matter what."

"Before we all walk through these doors, let's get on the same page, shall we?" Klaus suggested. "I was the one who created your vampire bloodline, therefore I am responsible for your lives and Tyler's life, Caroline's life, and of course, Abby's life, should anything go wrong."

"Or you're just lying to save your ass," Damon said, not believing it.

"No," I told him, surely. "It had to have been Klaus. I killed Scary Mary, but he admitted to being the last one to see her before I killed that bitch. That, and I had to lure her out of Klaus' room to kill her and the others were out."

Klaus drunk the rest of the blood with a smug look on his face. Not only was he sure that he wouldn't be killed today, but he now knew that his theory about me killing Scary Mary was correct. Everyone else had thought he did it, but it was me.

"Let's just get this over with," Stefan decided.

We all walked to the school together. I went through the gym doors while Klaus went through another set and the Salvatore brothers entered through the southern exit. I heard sounds of struggling, so I tried to move as stealthily as possible to see what was going on.

As I rounded a corner, I saw Elena running as Damon and Stefan rush over and pin down his arms. I saw Klaus, who was closer, but I ran over there anyway. It was too late. Before I could shove my hand into Alaric's chest, he threw both the brothers off.

In a few swift movements, Alaric broke Stefan's spine and temporarily killed him. Then he turned to his ex-best friend, Damon, and snapped his neck. Before I was seen, I went back around the corner and waited for the right moment.

Klaus ran forward and shoved his hands into Alaric's chest. Bonnie must've felt something or we'll all end up dead. Somehow, Alaric was strong enough to pull Klaus's hand out and throw him across the hall.

Turns out that Alaric had the white oak stake in his jacket, because I saw it as he picked Klaus up and slammed him against the lockers. Klaus fell to the floor, on his face. Alaric flipped him over and went to stake Klaus with the white oak stake, but Klaus fought back.

That gave me the opportunity I needed to join the fight. I rushed over silently, then kicked Alaric in the chest, sending him flying off of Klaus and onto the ground, where he landed on his ass and back. The stake was still in his hand, but that wasn't my worry.

I let my fangs out, channelling my vampirism to help. Alaric got straight up and rushed at me. He went to push me back, but I ducked, moved to the side and tripped him. Unfortunately, he didn't lose his footing and Klaus wasn't paying much attention.

"You're weak!" Alaric screamed at me. "Esther told me you'd make a good ally, but you protected Klaus! I guess I'm just going to have to kill you now!"

Alaric ran at me and before I could move, he had me pinned against the lockers. A lock was digging it's way into my back as Alaric held me there, with the stake over my heart. He was hesitant to kill me, but it was more for the joy of it.

Thankfully, there was no light in this hall. I felt the magic I had used on Klaus last night awaken again, so I let the shadows circle Alaric. In one fluid movement, he was flung back by the shadows. Before we could begin to really fight again, Elena yelled at us both.

"Stop!" She yelled, which made me consider continuing to fight, but seeing that Alaric stopped, so did I. Elena was crazy as hell, holding a butter knife to her throat. That won't do anything. "Let them go or I'll kill myself."

"Put it down, Elena," Alaric insisted, clearly worried.

"Why? Because you still need me alive?" This was a dangerous bluff because if she was wrong, we're all dead because she's a stupid little bitch who doesn't know what she's doing. "She didn't want you to be immortal, so she tied your life to a human one. That way you have only one life span to kill all of the vampires and then you'll be gone. So, when I die, you die too. That's it, it has to be!"

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Elena began to cut her throat open and I almost screamed at her.

"Stop! STOP! STOP! STOP!"

Using Alaric's panic to his advantage, Klaus got to his feet. He then rushed towards Elena, grabbed her and then left before anyone could really process what just happened. When Alaric got to his feet, I ran for it.

I wasn't going to stick around, especially if Alaric can't chase me until the sun goes down. Hell, I'm not even going to go and tell Bonnie. I've got to get the hell out of here before I get killed or something. I'll be safe at Hayden's, but not in a public place.

Using my vampire speed, I got back to Hayden's in a matter of minutes. When I walked into the house, I saw him moving a box. Before I could stop him, he disappeared down the hallway. I shut the front door and breathed a sigh of relief. Alaric wasn't getting in tonight.

Hayden walked into the kitchen, where I was now on the hunt for hard liquor of any kind. Thankfully, I found a bottle of bourbon. It was an expensive kind, meaning I might actually get drunk or at least tipsy by finishing the whole bottle.

"Woah, don't drink that," Hayden said, taking the bottle from me and putting back on the shelf. "That just happens to be my parents' favourite hard liquor. Usually they just drink wine or champagne. Maybe you can compel yourself some bourbon, but if you drink anything here, my parents will know."

"Hayden, I just fought Alaric and he could've killed me," I told him, annoyed. "I could've died, and that would mean that you'd have to face your parents without me. Can't I just have a bit? Maybe the whole bottle? I'll replace it."

"You can't just drink your worries away," Hayden insisted, shutting the cupboard and turning to face me. "I almost got killed because those hybrids came after me. Tyler Lockwood, of all people, was the one to save me. Then they called Klaus, who told them he couldn't give a damn."

"Then we can both drink our problems away. I have the money to replace it, even if it's now worth one million dollars. Money is nothing to me. However, my life and the lives of those I care about mean a hell of a lot to me. So, forgive me if drinking my problems away is how I'm going to spend what could possibly be the last day I see anyone I care about again. At least I can spend it with someone I care for."

It was clear that Hayden didn't know what to do or say. I think he was surprised that I actually cared for him. If my life is a popular story for witches to tell, then he knows I don't really care for many people, but not many people would've helped me outside so I could try and protect Kol. Most would've tried to help me and make me stay still.

Also, most wouldn't have asked me to pretend to be their girlfriend or chosen my side when it was me or my siblings. No one's taken me to a school dance before either. Oh, and no one's told me what to do the way he did.

It was a friendship and part of me would begin to want more. Like this morning, I wanted his arms to be around me and when he kissed me, I wanted him to do it again. There was no way I could do this and not want more, especially from someone so attractive and strong.

"My parents will be here tomorrow morning," Hayden muttered, turning away. "Wear something classy and don't show too much skin."

I sighed and agreed, then told him not to let anyone into the house tonight...


	11. Farewell My Friend

The bedroom that I was staying in was spacious, but not too big. There was a set of drawers, which was for socks, underwear and bras, as well as my jewellery boxes, seeing as there was four drawers. Then, in the walk-in wardrobe, all of my clothes were hung up neatly. My jeans all had their own rack, as did my shirts, as they were seperated by the drawers. Then my dresses hung on the opposite side. There was a full-length mirror on the back wall.

As for the room itself, it was stunning. A chandelier hung down and lit up the room. At the very back sat a four-poster bed with purple drapes around it. The walls were a nice creamy white and there were a few paintings on the walls. To really make it looked like I'd moved in, I'd put up my cork board with all of my photos on it.

I'd woken up early, seeing how Hayden's parents were to arrive at about eight and I was undoubtedly going to get a call for assistance or help. That was the bad thing about this situation. If they could've just come a week or so later, it would probably be all good.

Another crappy thing is that last night I got a call from Stefan who told me they'd desiccated Klaus, and not Alaric. I'd sworn at him, but made the choice not to kill him or Elena. That was only because I had to call Elijah and explain everything to him, knowing he'd know what to do.

I might've been in a petty fight with Klaus, but I was pissed off about them desiccating him instead of our intended target. He's my best friend, for gods' sake! I bet Elena and all her stupid friends had a party and celebrated Klaus' temporary, but long-term death.

Hayden had been pretty understanding when he found me screaming at Elijah over the phone. I almost cried, which was probably the reason for him not calling me crazy and calming me down. As soon as I had finished ranting, I'd gone to bed and I woke up angry, but a lot calmer.

It was difficult to pick out what I was going to wear, but eventually I chose something. I was wearing a pair of expensive jeggings, a plain blue shirt that had been about one hundred dollars, a pair of black combat boots and my leather jacket, which is clearly expensive too. With that, I wore my necklace with the tree on it, as well as both of my rings.

Hayden was wearing a pair of designer jeans, a black designer polo shirt, red vans and wore a ring on his finger. I assumed it was a family ring, as he was only wearing it now, it was expensive as hell, and it was plain silver with 'Silvetti' carved into it.

There was a knock on the door, so Hayden answered it. We agreed that he should do it, just because it could be Alaric. I was relieved when he walked back into the living room with two middle-aged people, a young man who was about twenty-one, and a young woman around the other guys age.

I wasn't under-dressed compared to the young woman. She was wearing a pair of old jeans, a shirt with a tacky slogan on it, and her brown hair was in a messy ponytail. However, she was really pretty with brown skin and matching brown eyes, that melted like chocolate.

The young man looked a lot like Hayden, but with ash blonde hair. His hair fell in his eyes and his skin was tan, but he had the same eyes, face shape and body type as Hayden. It was surprisingly clear that they were brothers.

"Mum, dad, this is my girlfriend, Thalia," Hayden introduced. "Thalia, this is my brother Callum and his girlfriend Amy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I told them, giving them my best fake smile, which you can't tell us fake. "You have a really beautiful house. It's elegant and sophisticated, but still has that sense of home."

Hayden seemed impressed, as did both of his parents, who were in their late-fifties if I were to guess. I could tell that Callum and Amy were looking for a fault and looked at me as if I were a snob. In fact, it was the look they gave everyone except each other.

"Please, call me Annalise," Hayden's mother insisted. "This is my husband, Lionel."

Annalise looked her age, with ash blonde hair that had a few streaks of grey through it. Her eyes were a stormy grey, similar to how Hayden's somehow looked. However, Callum must've gotten his tanned skin from her.

Lionel's hair was fully grey, although I suspect it was once brown, and he was clearly tired and an important business man. His eyes shone a lovely green-blue colour and his skin was just darker than Hayden's.

I could see that Lionel was suspicious of me, but I just kept smiling. I'm a happy person and I'm meant to be in love with their son. How hard can that be? Actually, don't answer that.

"Tell me, Thalia, where did you get that necklace?" Amy asked, reaching for it.

Before she could touch the necklace, I put it under my shirt. Everyone noticed that my mood had quickly changed, but I had a cover story for this. Hayden had warned me that someone might ask, so I came up with a story.

"It was given to me when I was seven," I told her. "It's a family heirloom from the Viking ages. It serves as a memory of my childhood with my family, which is a subject that I don't like discussing."

"What's your last name again?" Callum questioned, clearly trying to break through my façade.

"Ashwood," I said, calmly.

"As in the Original vampire Thalia Ashwood?" Lionel asked, taking a step back and looking alarmed.

"No, no, no," I told them, laughing a little. "I'm descended from Thalia's mother's sister, if I'm correct. The magic skipped me, unfortunately. It would be nice if I were able to do spells to make things levitate and whatnot."

Annalise and Lionel laughed, clearly embarassed of their accusation. I laughed with them, working to keep up the façade. Then I realised that if I were accidentally upset or snappy, I had an excuse. All it takes it a simple name change for Klaus.

Hayden stood beside me and smiled. The only people who weren't amused were Amy and Callum. If I had to pick someone to see through my façade, I would say it would be one of them. They both took a crack at it and I suspect they wouldn't stop.

"You two don't seem very close," Callum pointed out. "I didn't expect you to be this frigid, Hayden."

We didn't plan this to happen, so Hayden panicked. He looked over at me and I just smiled. I had the perfect reason and it would explain why he panicked a little. I just looked over at Callum as calmly as I could manage.

"We thought that it would be best not to be too touchy feely in front of you guys," I covered. "That, and with high school coming to an end, we're just trying to really enjoy our time together because we don't know where we might be accepted. Both of us agreed that it's just best to take it slow. I only live here because I can't move back into my family home and the friend I used to live with has left. I didn't want to stay in a mansion by myself."

Annalise glared at her eldest son before he could say anything else. Then she gave me a sympathetic smile and smiled at Hayden. I was relieved that they had bought it because it was an on-the-spot lie. It was a good one, but still.

Before anyone could speak again, my phone began to ring. I blushed, seeming embarassed, but then I checked my phone anyway. This seemed to disappoint Annalise, who was clearly warming up to me. It also surprised Lionel, who seemed to be able to hide his emotions well.

It was Elijah and I knew I needed to take this. It could be about Klaus and I need all of the information I can get. He's my best friend and if we're going to get his body back then I need to know. Maybe I can wake him up before anyone can stop me.

"I am _so_ sorry, but I really have to take this," I told them, apologetically. "A friend of mine is really badly injured and this is his brother. It could be really important because he might've gotten worse."

The worry in my voice was genuine. Annalise's face softened, so I answered my phone on it's last ring. I knew this would annoy Elijah, but at least he found the patience to wait. I don't usually do that. Most of the time, I hang up.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, nervously.

" _You're nervous_ ," Elijah stated. " _Why_?"

"My boyfriend's parents are over," I replied. "Is there any news? Any change in the situation?"

" _You're on speaker. Elena and Stefan want your word that you won't kill her, but that you'll go on the run from Alaric instead, as soon as we get the stake, of course. Also, I need your word that you won't go and wake Klaus up because you get bored. At least not until we all agree he should be let out_."

"You couldn't of picked a worse time, could you? Why should I give you my word? Why should I agree to this when I don't want to? I want justice for what happened to my best friend! I don't want to run! I want to stay in Mystic Falls! If they had've just done their goddamn job, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

" _Thalia, please, just give me your word. We'll get the stake and I'll get his body. In return, you give me your word that you'll leave them be and that you won't re-awaken Klaus. It's simple. Please. Do it for the sake of your best friend_. You can even pick up his body with Rebekah. She'll come and pick you up."

"Fine, you have my word, but if they try _anything_ , the deal's off! I need to go. Goodbye."

I hung up my phone and ran a hand through my hair, frustratedly. Everyone was watching me as tears of anger sprung to my eyes. Hayden pulled me into a hug and I rested my head on his shoulder. Not even Callun dared to speak as I hugged Hayden.

After about a minute, I pulled away and took a deep breath to calm myself down. Annalise had another worried look on her face, and Lionel looked sympathetic. That's the good thing about witches: as long as you're human, they're sympathetic and kind towards you.

"Sorry about that," I muttered. "He just wanted my word that I wouldn't go after the people who we think hurt him. Their family is really rich and they've made a lot of enemies because of it. We think someone's been hired to take us all out."

Technically I was telling the truth. Alaric was pretty much hired to kill us all, we have a lot of enemies and we're all really rich. That, and Elijah did want my word and I didn't really know when Klaus would be allowed to wake up, if he ever would.

"Honey, you should be by your friend's side," Annalise told me, knowing not to touch me. "Life is short and you don't know if you'll ever see him again."

"My friend is coming to pick me up," I said. "Listen, the guy who did this is now an Original Vampire. The Original Witch made him an Original to take out the ones that were in town. He doesn't care about the damage he causes and anyone who's friends with a vampire are at risk. If he comes here, looking for me, tell him I'm gone. The Salvatore brothers are vampires and they're my friends, so I need your help."

"Why should we help a liar?" Amy asked, bitterly. "It's all a façade. You're clearly one of them. You're an Original too. I'll give you credit because you're a great liar, but I can sense a lie."

"If Amy says this, it must be true," Lionel said, sadly. "You seemed like such a nice girl too."

Hayden clearly hasn't even heard of Amy before, or he'd know this and we would've just told the truth in the first place or I would've stayed with Damon and Stefan for a while. Our eyes met and we came to a silent agreement. He kissed me on the lips and I kissed back, to make sure they thought I really did love him.

Annalise's jaw had dropped and she looked betrayed. Why me? Why this week? Couldn't they just wait for a few days so we could get Alaric out of the way and so we could all be happy? What was I going to say?

"If you want the truth, I'm _the_ Thalia Ashwood," I confessed. "My friend who's badly injured is Klaus and we got into a fight before the Salvatore Brothers desiccated him. He won't be waking up for at least one hundred more years if Elijah gets his way. Alaric Saltzman really was turned into an Original Vampire by Esther and his life is tied to Elena Gilbert's. If he gets to Klaus' body and kills him, a lot of my friends die with him. I'm going to be his last target because he thinks I could be his ally."

"Is anything true?" Annalise asked, furiously. "Are you just using my son?"

"I really do love your son," I insisted. "He's kind, caring, smart, strong, and attractive. He's not flawless, but I like that he has flaws and he works on them."

"He'll just end up dead!" Lionel hissed. "Get away from him!"

"Please, just hear me out," I begged. "I can't stay, but I'll be back tonight. All of the stories you've heard are biased. You've not heard my side of it. Let me explain. Let me show you that I don't want to hurt your son. I want to help Hayden, not harm him. Please. Just one meal to explain everything. If you still don't like me, then I'll run and I'll never see your son again."

"Please," Hayden added, wrapping his arm around my waist. "Hear her out. If anything, Thalia's helped me. For me."

"She told the truth this time," Amy piped up. "So did your son."

Lionel and Annalise discussed it between themselves. Amy gave me an apologetic look, but I got it. I've crossed a few witches like her. Sometimes if they hear too many lies, they can't keep their mouth shut any longer.

I nervously waited for their answer. Both of them seemed angry with me and I understood that, but I did hope that they gave me one chance to explain myself. I'd be as kind as possible and I'd show them that I can help people instead of hurting them.

"You have one shot," Lionel agreed. "You were telling half the truth and I just want my son to be happy."

A car beeped it's horn outside, meaning Rebekah was here. Hayden and I quickly kissed before I ran out of the house and towards Rebekah's car.

Rebekah and I had been driving for a few hours, so I explained my situation to her. She was actually really understanding. She understood why I tried to lie and why I wanted a second chance. Although, she did tell me that I had at least a crush on him, which was awkward.

She suggested that I just be a politer version of myself and when I'm telling my version of the stories, to really mean what I say. Maybe even cry at a really devastating part. However, we both agreed that we should only discuss me getting sold and why I killed my family and turned them.

Then we moved onto the topic of how killing Elena would be an easier and better solution, as well as a lot safer. She hated her more than I had imagined anyone could. Elena had betrayed her numerous times and literally stabbed her in the back once. That's pretty harsh.

We finally arrived at the storage units as the sun set. We got out and walked in. We had to go to unit 1020, so we took the elevator. Unsure of what else to say, we stood in silence. When we reached our floor, we left the elevator and started calling out for Damon.

We walked down the first line of storage units, but as we passed one, both of our mouths were covered and we were dragged back. Common sense told me it was Damon, so I let him pull me back. If it were Alaric, we would be dead already.

"Shhh," Damon whispered. "Follow me."

We used our vampire speed to go to unti 1020, grab Klaus' coffin, and then get the hell out of there. We all headed towards Klaus' car with the coffin. Rebekah and I wheeled it as Damon acted as a look-out. He was only helping us because of Elena, but I wasn't about to complain.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Alaric appeared and slammed Rebekah's head against Klaus' car. Damon and I ran forward, but Alaric kicked Damon back and sent him flying. Then, Alaric punched me in the face and kicked me in the chest, sending me flying back to where Rebekah and Damon were.

As I struggled to recover from a slight concussion, badly broken ribs, and a pierced lung, Alaric opened Klaus' coffin and pulled out the white oak stake. My concussion was gone and my lung had healed, but I couldn't get up because of my ribs, despite the fact that I tried.

"No!" Rebakah exclaimed.

"No, don't!" Damon pleaded.

"NO!" I screamed, weakly getting to my feet, but getting pulled back down by Damon.

Before I could get back up, Alaric stabbed Klaus in the heart. I heard Klaus gasp in pain as he died and his body began to burn. I screamed and got to my feet, prepared to kill Alaric. Tears streamed down my face as I went to run to the casket.

Damon had to hold both Rebekah and I back, which I was sort of thankful for. I would've died with Klaus if he hadn't of done it. I screamed and cried, while trying to stay upright.

Part of me had broken inside. My heart had dropped to my stomach and had shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Sometimes your soul mate is your best friend, and Klaus was mine. He was my other half and now he's gone, all because we didn't kill Elena!

"Next," Alaric said, turning around.

"Run!" Damon commanded, pushing Rebekah and I. "Get out of here! Go! Run!"

Rebekah immediately rushed off, but I hesitated. Deciding to follow Rebekah, I ran too. I was going to kill Elena or her brother or whoever I saw first! Instead of following Rebekah to her car, I hid on top of one of the storage units.

Alaric ran right past me, so I doubled back so I could take Klaus' body and his car. I'd rather die than not give him a proper funeral. However, before I could get near Damon, Alaric appeared in front of me and he was pissed.

This meant Rebekah had gotten away. It also meant I'd won. He knew I'd evaded him somehow and he didn't understand because he looked on the top of the units. Alaric didn't know about my magic and that was going to be my advantage.

I was still in tears and sobbing, so I wasn't thinking straight. However, I was pushing all of the grief away. I don't want to feel it. I don't want to do or feel anything other than hate and I'm going to ensure that Alaric pays for what he did.

"You killed him!" I screamed, drawing all of the surrounding shadows to me. "You killed him and you're going to pay for it, you ass!"

Alaric was close enough to stake me, so he raised the stupid thing. Before he could stab me with it, my shadows wrapped around his wrist and slowly creeped around his entire body, encasing him in a suit of shadows.

He was yelling in pain and trying to get up, but it was all too much for him. I knew what I was doing and he needed to know that. His body began to shake violently, as the shadows began to destroy him from the inside. I knew it wouldn't kill him - I wouldn't let it - but it'd hurt like hell.

Suddenly, I drew all of the shadows back, knowing that would hurt too. He yelped in pain, but before he could even try to regain his strength and heal, I slammed my boot into his face and broke his nose. It began to bleed and I grinned as I kicked him in the ribs.

"You're weak!" I hissed, copying his words to me. "Esther told you I'd make a good ally, but I protected and stood with my friends and family! I guess I'm just going to let Rebekah exact her revenge! Have fun rotting in hell! I'll see you when I take my throne!"

I kicked him again, then fled. I wasn't going to stick around for a foolish amount of time. This is a kill and run kind of thing, except for the fact that he can't die. That doesn't really matter, because I made him hurt. I made him feel worse pain than Klaus would've.

I stumbled into Hayden's house, after running straight here. He was having a late dinner with all of his family as I entered the house with a few bottles of bourbon and tear-stained cheeks from earlier. I hadn't cried again. I wasn't going to accept Klaus' death.

Everyone stared at me as I raised the bottle in my left hand and smiled a broken smile. Then I went to my room, shut the door and opened one of my three bottles of bourbon. I put my phone on the table that was next to my bed and began to drink.

My phone began to ring, so I answered it. It was Elijah, so I assumed he was going to tell me something important. He would try to tell me Klaus is dead, but he's stronger and more resourceful than that. He wouldn't just die.

" _Thalia, you're okay_!" Elijah exclaimed, clearly crying. " _I was so worried about you. Rebekah ran Elena off the bridge, so Alaric's dead_." There was a pause as Elijah choked back a sob. " _Do you want to talk about what you saw? Klaus was your best friend..._ "

"And he's not dead," I insisted. "He wouldn't die that easily. Surely you know that."

" _Thalia, he's gone_ ," Elijah stated, confirming what I already knew, although I didn't want to believe it. " _I know you don't want to admit it and there's always going to be a part of you that can't, but you have to. I know you saw him die and I know he was basically your other half_." Elijah broke down. " _Please, Thalia, just tell yourself the truth. We'll hold a funeral for him and everything_."

"It's not right," I said, letting tears spill down my cheeks as I had another swig of bourbon. "He was a real ass, but I loved him. I have to go. I don't want to talk any longer. I want to mourn my best friend."

I hung up and began to sob. Klaus was gone and it was all Elena's fault! If we had've just killed her, this never would've happened! They could've just turned her into a vampire! Klaus wouldn't be dead if they had've used their brains!

A scream escaped my throat. I tried to drown my tears in my bottle of bourbon, but as soon as I finished it, I found there was no difference. I threw the bottle across the room and laughed as it smashed against the wall. Klaus would've laughed, but then told me I was being stupid.

Sobs racked my body and before long, I was on my knees with my head head in my hands, trying to be a bit quieter. My heart hurt and so did my head. Everything hurt because my heart had shattered. Even if I did fall in love with Hayden, like even Klaus had suspected, it wouldn't repair the damage that had been done.

Someone entered my room and for a second I thought it was Klaus. I wanted it to be Klaus. I needed it to be Klaus. I needed him to come and sit with me and hug me and apologize for letting me think that he was dead.

It was Hayden, who looks nothing like Klaus, but that doesn't matter. I don't want to be comforted or told that it'll all get better. That's what they always tell you, but it doesn't. The memory will always be there and so will what you felt. It only gets easier to push to the back of your mind. In all reality, you just get so used to the pain that you don't feel it anymore.

"Thalia, what happened?" Hayden asked, sitting next to me and waiting patiently for an answer.

"He's dead!" I sobbed, hiding my face in his shirt. "Klaus is dead! Alaric killed him! He woke up, gasped, and then he died! He was my best friend! This all could've been avoided if we just turned Elena into a vampire or something! No one would've had to die!"

Hayden held me while I sobbed into his chest. He didn't say anything when I tugged at his shirt or ran my nails down his back. He just held me and let me cry. If he stayed until I stopped, we'd be here for an eternity.

"I'm not going to tell you it gets better, but it does get easier to deal with," Hayden reassured me. "I don't know Klaus well enough to say much, but I do know he would've wanted you to be happy. He would've wanted you to grieve and then get on with your life."

"I didn't even get to say sorry," I whispered, between sobs. "We got into a fight and I didn't even get to apologize or tell him how much he means to me or that he was right. God, he was in the right and now I know I'm not. I'm always going to regret not saying anything and I know it."

I missed everything about Klaus. I miss his eyes and his hair and the way he would comfort me if I was ever as upset as this. Hayden was warm and welcoming, but something about the coldness of Klaus made me stop crying. Klaus pushed me to be as cold as he was.

My eyes stung, my throat burned and my body ached from the sobs that tore through me. My heart hurt the most. It was like I'd been stabbed with a knife and I just couldn't pull it out. It hurt so badly. I could feel it tearing me up from the inside.

I must've stopped crying and fallen asleep because I opened my eyes as Hayden put my sheets over me. He kissed me on the forehead, but I grabbed his hand before he could go. He turned back around to look at me.

"Stay," I said.

Hayden listened and climbed into bed next to me. He crawled under the blankets and put his arm over me, pulling me close. There we just slept. We were fully clothed and there was nothing intimate about it. All that was happening was Hayden was comforting me and we were just sleeping...


	12. Alive and Kicking

I woke up with Hayden's arm still holding me close. I shifted myself so I could look at him. He shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but it was too late. I smiled and buried my head in his chest. It was as if nothing was wrong, but then I remembered.

Klaus was dead. He was really gone. My best friend, who was my second half, was dead. Tears began to well in my eyes and I began to cry again. Why couldn't I just stop crying? Why did he have to die? I just want to be happy!

Hayden held me as I began to cry again, but I pushed myself away. I had to get dressed and get ready. I can't cry and sit in my own misery all day today. Klaus' art needed to be looked at and put away in it's proper place. Then I need to organize his funeral.

He watched me as I rushed around my room, cleaning up the glass from the bottle of bourbon and then putting it in the tiny litter bin in the corner of the room. Then I disappeared into the wardrobe as I put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a black shirt, black combat boots and a black leather jacket. I then added my rings and necklace to today's outfit.

My hair was a mess, so I brushed it until it looked nice. Then I walked out of the walk-in wardrobe and over to where Hayden was still sitting. His hair was messy and he had a concerned look on his face. I was taking Klaus' death too well right now, and even I know it.

"I need a lift to Klaus' mansion," I told him. "There's so much that Rebekah and I will have to plan. I can't just leave her to plan her brother's funeral by herself. She wouldn't let me do it alone."

"Sure, I'll get dressed and then drop you off," Hayden agreed, getting out of bed. "What are we going to do about my family? They're going to want answers."

"We'll explain tonight," I decided. "Just hold them off until then. Can you do that?"

Hayden muttered an agreement, then left my room. Tears began to slide down my cheeks as soon as he left, but I wiped them away and walked outside, towards the front door. Annalise saw me, but didn't try to talk to me. Either she was still angry or could tell I wasn't in the mood.

After waiting for two minutes, Hayden walked over with his car keys. We both walked outside, got in his car, and then he drove off before I even had the chance to put my seatbelt on. He didn't speak at all, so I was about to ask him what was wrong before he pulled up on the side of the road and began to cry.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"Your siblings!" He spat, furiously wiping his tears away. "They compelled Carter! Now he's engaged to Alice! She's going to be popular and I can't take her down without hurting Carter's reputation! Without him, I'm nothing! He got me to the top! He pushed me! I'm going to have to see her every day! I hate that miserable bitch!"

"She's just a replacement, Hayden," I told him, taking his hands to stop them from shaking. "We're both relying on each other right now and I know we can both get through this. Trust me." I kissed him on the cheek. "Alice is nothing. My parents took her in so no one got suspicious. Alice isn't the schemer, it's someone else. We'll see what they're up to and put a stop to it. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Hayden pulled his hands away and began to drive again. "Are you sure you're ready? It's only been a day."

"And I have thousands more ahead of me. If I put it off today, I'll never do it."

Hayden said nothing and kept driving. Time seemed to fade away and before I knew it, we had arrived at Klaus' mansion. I looked at it and sighed. I needed to go in there, but the memories - although there aren't many - would come flooding back.

I felt Hayden take my hand, but my mind was screaming for me to turn it all off before I had to deal with all of this grief. No. I can't turn my emotions off. If I do that then it'll be fifty thousand times worse when they're turned back on.

"Take your time," Hayden insisted, meaning it. "You don't have to go in there if you don't want to. I could go with you, if you want?"

"No, I'm just putting it off because I don't want to have to grieve anymore," I told him, pulling my hand out of his and then unbuckling my seatbelt. "Hold off your parents until tonight. I think I'll be able to handle it then."

"Thalia," Hayden said, right before I shut the car door on him. "Don't turn your emotions off. They're what makes you who you are and it'll just get worse if you do."

"I know."

Gently, I shut the car door and then strided towards the front door. Hayden drove off and tears began to blur my vision. I blinked them away and walked into the house. The mansion of my dead best friend. It was Klaus' mansion.

Holding back my tears, I walked into Klaus' art room. His art is beautiful. Each piece means something different, and there's no two that are the same. My favourite is one that he kept. It was a burning tree. He had given it to me, and I took it for a while, but then I gave it back to him. The details are so intricate and perfect that I just couldn't keep it for myself.

There was an unfinished painting that Klaus had clearly started right before his death. I began to let the tears run down my face, although I didn't want to break down the way I had last night. Hayden was right, Klaus would wan't me to stay strong.

As I walked around and looked at his paintings, I found a new one. It was so sad, but so powerful. It was painted with dark colours and depicted a girl with brown hair with blood all on her face, as if she had fed for the first time and didn't know what to do. There was a body on the ground, but if was face-down.

Then I found another painting and a shaky breath escaped my lips. It was of me. One family, who I just assumed were my biological family, were in grey and those who faced the front sneered. There was a second family, although it was only kids. They were in colour. I was in both families, in colour for each, although my colours were dark and distressed with my own family.

"He painted that for you after you found out your family was back in town," Rebekah told me, sadly. She stood by my side with a sad look on her face. "He planned to use it to remind you that we're your family, not them. Klaus finished it before he was desiccated and was going to give it to you that day, but never got the chance."

"I just wish I had've apologized," I said, still looking at the painting. "Now I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life, which is going to be a long one." I began to sob again. "I can't imagine life without him. Klaus was my best friend and despite our arguments, we did care for each other."

"You sound sober," Rebekah muttered, changing the subject. "Go and get yourself a drink."

I just agreed and walked off, towards where the alcohol was kept. Thankfully there were no hybrids. If any of them were here, they'd be dead and I'd be bathing in their blood or drinking it. Depends on how angry and upset I get.

After getting a bottle of bourbon and starting to drink it, my phone went off. It was Hayden, so I decided to answer it. For all I know, his parents could be demanding to take him home unless they saw me right now.

" _The Council just came looking for you_ ," Hayden told me, sounding worried. " _We told them that we don't know where you went. All they know is that you came home last night and then left. Be careful and hide your phone. I think they want to kill of the vampires_."

"Thank you," I said. "If this is true, I should really go."

I hung up and went back to Klaus' art room. Before I could get there, I heard the door get kicked down. I swore loud enough for Rebekah to hear and then screamed for her to run in latin, then in French. I was hoping that the people who were attacking didn't know French.

Deciding to go against logic, I ran to the door. Suddenly, another door was kicked in, but this one was closer to the art room. I hope Rebekah had heard me and that she had understood. If not, we were both screwed.

They all had guns, so I grabbed the person closest to me and dug my fangs into his neck. He screamed and people shot me from behind. I basically tore out his throat and then dropped his body. As I reached for the next person, I felt a bullet pierce my heart.

When I woke up, I was in a cell. I looked around and saw Rebekah was in the one next to me, Stefan was across from me, and there was a whole row of extra cells. When I focused my eyes, I saw another person in the cell next to Stefan's. It was Elena!

A growl escaped my lips, but then I began to cough. They were ventilating vervain through the cells. I could even smell it and it burned. Rebekah and Stefan both looked over at me as I got to my knees and tried to rip the bars off the cell.

I remembered that Klaus was dead when I looked at Elena again. Part of me was ready to kill her, but I was too far away and the grief is still tearing me apart. I fell back and rested my head on my knees as tears threatened to spill.

"Thalia, are you alright?" Rebekah asked. "You were shot at least ten times. I had to pull the bullets out so you'd wake up." She hesitated. "Klaus is still alive."

"No he's not, Rebekah," I denied, shaking my head. "You know I can't have false hope like that." I had to choke back my sobs. "He's gone and there's nothing I can do about it. Alaric killed him. I saw Alaric kill him. If I hold on, I'll destroy myself."

"I saw him," Rebekah insisted. "He's in Tyler's body. Bonnie or someone must've performed a spell so he would body jump. It explains why Damon, Stefan, Elena and Caroline are all alive, as well as Tyler. You know that Klaus sired them because it wasn't the rest of us." She hesitated again. "He stopped our van to save Caroline, so she's not here."

That hit me hard. Rebekah was definitely telling the truth. She had the guts to look me in the eyes and she never does that when she's lying. That, and Rebekah was almost in tears. She was almost crying and I knew she was telling the truth.

All I felt was rage. Blinding rage. Klaus was alive and he had let me mourn him! I wanted to die for him! I almost did when I kicked Alaric's ass! He had saved Caroline! Not his sister or his best friend! Caroline! I was going to make him suffer for this.

Stefan and Elena were having their own conversation, as she'd woken up. I didn't pay attention, as my anger was focusing my mind on my revenge plan. I heard Rebekah make a remark and then I stopped listening again.

Light shone through in random places and the shadows were weak. They'd been my source of power since I became a hybrid. From what I've learned, if it weren't for me being human and my pure magic, I would've been able to use this kind of magic all the time when I was young.

"Thalia, do you think you can use your magic to get us free?" Stefan asked, hopefully. "There's shadows around your cage."

I moved forward and sat my the bars. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes and focused on drawing the shadows towards me. Every time I've done this, it's been to either protect myself or because I was angry and it accidentally happened, apart from the time I went up against Alaric at the storage units. I meant to do that and I was furious.

"Stefan, I need blood," Elena moaned, breaking my focus.

"Elena, if you don't shut the hell up, no one's getting out of here!" I hissed. "I mean, I won't die if I don't get out soon and they can't kill me, so I'll be fine. So will Rebekah. You should probably worry about the ones locked in here who are killable."

That shut Elena up. However, before I could start to focus again, my phone buzzed. All four of us heard it because we're vampires. Rebekah and Stefan got to their feet as I began to pat down my jacket. They hadn't taken my phone because I hid it in my jacket!

I raised a finger to my lips as I pulled my phone out of my inner jacket pocket and answered it. I was just hoping that none of the guards walked in. Our survival depended on us not getting caught while I was on the phone.

" _Thalia, where are you?!_ " Hayden asked, worriedly. " _I was driving through town to go and get you and Damon Salvatore stopped me. Now we're on our way to the farm you're being held on. Is everyone still alive and well?_ "

"More or less," I said.

" _What about Elena?_ " Damon called, which let me know the phone was on speaker. " _How is she?_ "

"She's as well as a dying vampire can be," I muttered. "Listen, you need to be really careful when you get here. I have to go." I paused. "Hayden, don't you dare let them put you in the line of fire. You need to stay alive. I need you alive, okay?"

" _Okay. Don't do anything stupid, Thalia. We'll be there as soon as we can_."

Hayden hung up and I slipped my phone back into the pocket I hid it in before. Everyone stared at me, but then Elena started to act up, which brought all of the attention back to her. Stefan got up and tried to see her, but he couldn't. Even Rebekah watched.

"Stefan," Elena moaned, like the whiny idiot she is.

"What happened?" Stefan asked, worriedly.

"I'm out of time," she complained. "I need blood. I'm dying."

Well, duh. Of course she's dying. Elena was a fool and thought that there was actually a way to ensure that she doesn't have to turn.

Stefan was a look of worry on his face as Elena breathed heavily. He got up, off the ground and I just sighed, knowing he would beg them to take mercy on Elena, which wouldn't happen. Even if she hasn't killed anyone herself yet - well, directly - she'll have to do it one day.

"Hey!" Stefan yelled. "Anyone, hey!"

"Will you shut up?!" Rebekah hissed, showing her frustration.

"You think we're afraid of you?!" Stefan called, baiting them to walk in.

Just as we had all expected, an officer opened up the doors and walked in. I stayed seated and moved to the back of the cell, where I sort of blended in with the shadows. The officer walked over to Stefan's cell and I noticed he had a gun on him.

"You want more vervain?" The officer questioned. "No? Then keep it down."

"Listen to me," Stefan insisted, foolishly. "Elena's going to die if you don't let her out of here."

"Sorry, not my problem," the officer stated, looking at both Elena and Stefan.

"Let her out!"

Great job Stefan. It's a brilliant idea to yell at the officer with a gun. I mean, it's not like he got shot in the stomach because of it. Stefan fell and Elena yelled for them both to stop, but no one cared. Stefan got back up and rushed to the bars.

"I said, let her out!" Stefan half-screamed.

This just seemed to infuriate and annoy the officer, who shot Stefan in the leg this time. He then walked out of the barn and shut the doors. Stefan fell to the ground again and I had to stop myself from making a remark about his idiocy and laughing at him.

At this rate, they weren't going to find out what had happened on the phone. Because of the amount of vervain, we could only just hear each other. Even if they had've strained their ears, not even Rebekah could've heard.

"So, do you want to know what they told me over the phone or not?" I asked, as Stefan dragged himself over to the wall that seperated him and Elena.

"Of course we want to know!" Rebekah snapped.

"They're coming to free us and they'll be here as soon as they can," I told them, quiet enough to ensure the guards didn't listen, but loud enough for Elena and Stefan to hear. "Hayden, Damon, and Matt are all on their way. We'll get out of here."

Everyone went silent, but then Stefan and Elena began to talk. I decided to tune them out and try to get the shadows to bend to my will again. It wasn't working and I didn't know why. Is there something I need to do? Do I need to be angry or upset or feel some kind of over-powering emotion?

For about a second, the shadows bent to my will and began to curl around me. However, my focus was broken as Rebekah and Stefan began to start coming up with a plan to get Elena some blood. I sighed and cast a glare over at Rebekah for about two seconds.

Then I went back to ignoring them and focusing on the shadows, but there was no results. I sighed as dramatically as I could manage, without coughing because of the vervain. That gained the attention of everyone, but I didn't care.

"Thalia, we're going to save Elena," Rebekah stated. "Having you help us would be great, seeing how you're great at getting what you want."

"Why should I help?" I asked, annoyed. "Like you said, I'm great at getting what I want. If push comes to shove, I'll just convince them to let me go."

Rebekah scowled and Stefan glared at me, but before they could say anything, two officers walked into the barn. I moved further into the shadows to hide myself. They were carrying vervain with them, which I assumed they were going to put in the vents.

"I got this," the officer who shot Stefan stated. "Bring the other one in."

The other officer left the barn and I quickly figured out what was going on. Rebekah would lure him to her, then startle him so Stefan could grab his head, smash it against the bars until he bled and then he would throw the body in front of Elena. Maybe not. I'm not a mind-reader.

"Excuse me?" Rebekah asked, pretending to cough after. "Hello, sir?"

"I thought I told you to shut up," he said, pointing his gun at her.

"Here's the thing, my family we - we have money, castles, apartments, jewellery; just name your price and let me out."

"I'd much rather watch you die!" The officer hissed, moving close to the cage.

As I had expected, Rebekah got up and ran towards the bars. The officer was startled and went to fire his gun, but he fell back and was close enough for Stefan to reach him. Stefan slammed the head of the officer against the bars until he started to bleed. Then he dropped the officer near Elena's cage.

Elena saw the dead officer and the blood that was slowly spreading across the floor, towards her. I was considering laughing at her as she reached for the blood, but her arm didn't reach far enough. As if it were some Christmas miracle, within the next five seconds, the blood got close enough for her to reach, she licked the blood off of her fingers and then she regained colour in her face.

As if it were handy-timing central, Hayden burst into the barn. He couldn't see me, so he let Stefan go, then Elena, then Rebekah and then me. All he had to do was mutter a few words and the cage doors swung open.

When I walked out of the cage, he pulled me into a hug. Elena and Rebekah both ran off, but I saw that Stefan was weak. I pulled away from Hayden and walked over to Stefan. Yeah, I'd been shot numerous times and there'd been a lot of vervain in the air, but I wasn't as weak as he was.

"Next time, don't fill someone's head with idiotic ideas about being able to stay human, despite the fact that they're clearly in transition," I told him, coldly. "Believe me, if there were a way to get out of it, there would be very few of us."

Before Stefan could say anything in return, I walked out. Hayden had gone ahead, probably to go and talk to Matt or Damon. I was glad to breathe in actual air. This was vervain-free and lovely, as it was not cold, but not hot either.

When I looked around for Hayden, Elena picked him up by the throat. Hayden struggled to get free, and even scratched her hands. Before Elena could make a foolish move and actually hurt Hayden, I was by her side.

I grabbed Elena's wrist tightly, so she had to drop Hayden. I didn't break it, but I did do a bit of damage. She turned to me and was furious. Thankfully, before I had to kick her newby-vampire ass, Damon took her arm and stopped her from doing something stupid.

"What the hell?!" I hissed, furiously. "Why did you just attack Hayden?!"

"I think she's still angry about the time I rejected her and told her she was just average-looking, and so she spread rumours about me, so I spread counter-rumours about her," Hayden explained. "Then I won the war and came up right on top, so she's hated me ever since."

Elena was clearly at a loss for words, so she turned her anger towards me. She even went to the extent of glaring at me and silently wishing I would die. I could feel her angry intentions and I laughed. Elena couldn't kill anyone, even if she wanted to. She's too weak.

"You!" She yelled. "If it weren't for you, Rebekah, Elijah, Klaus, and Kol, I wouldn't be a vampire! I would never have been run off a bridge and become what I am! I was meant to have a family and an actual life, but I'm never going to get that because of you and your family!"

That had hit a nerve and everyone seemed to know it, apart from Elena. The whiny little idiot was still glaring at me and trying to intimidate me. Damon knew better than to pull her away and Hayden even took a step back, expecting a fight or something.

"Do you think any of the Originals wanted to be vampires?!" I asked, letting her see my anger. "If I had've been human for one more day, I would've made it to eighteen! If I weren't turned into a vampire, then we wouldn't have to be here! I would have fallen in love with a boy from the village, fallen in love, married him and maybe even had a few kids! Don't you think I wanted that?! Because I did! More than anything!"

"So, just because you didn't get what you wanted, you take it out on everyone else?! You're worse than all of the other Originals combined."

"Oh, I know," I said, becoming scarily calm and quiet. "Between eight and fourteen, I would kill any adult in the family, send the kids to become trained to kill people like I was, then I would move onto my next targets. I killed my best friend as a human. I killed my first lover when I turned into a vampire. Don't even bother telling me what I already know. You just sound like a fool."

Everyone was surprised by my words. Before Damon could make a remark or say something stupid, I stormed off. Thankfully, they had taken two cars and one of them happened to be Hayden's. We both got in and drove in silence.

When we got back to Hayden's, his parents had prepared a proper meal, which just so happened to be spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread. I excused myself to get changed, seeing how there was blood on my shirt. I changed into a simple, tight black dress and a pair of heels, then re-joined them.

However, when I walked out, I saw Carter and Alice there. They were both smiling like fools and I saw that Alice was being as nice as possible. She'd been put up to something and it was obvious that I was surprised no one else saw it.

Hayden wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek, trying to keep up this half of the act. I smiled at the ground and then looked back up at him. His eyes shone with genuine care, so I smiled to myself.

"Annalise, Lionel, I see you've met my half-sister Alice," I stated, knowing she wouldn't of told them that. "She's a vampire too. In fact, all of my siblings are. Carter's been living with them for a while."

Alice glared at me as we all took our seats. I smiled back at her. I was between Hayden and Amy, so I was hoping that Amy could do more than tell if someone was lying. Hayden was sitting next to Carter, so I sympathised for him.

Annalise, Lionel, Callum, and Amy all looked over at Hayden and I, probably expecting me to say the wrong thing and annoy Alice. However, I just smiled and poured myself a glass of wine. That earned me a disapproving look from Annalise and a smile from Lionel.

"Thalia, tell me, what stories were you going to explain to us?" Callum asked, wanting to get straight to the point. "I can't imagine the reasoning behind turning your siblings into vampires and killing both of your parents."

"Well, you wouldn't understand what it's like to be locked in a room for an entire week while all of your siblings were outside, playing and having fun and not asking any questions about you while you just sat there," I told him, calmly. "Oh, and from the looks of it, your parents didn't sell you to people who just so happened to train you to kill people. Let's not forget the fun time when my father beat my twin, so I stepped in and got beaten too."

Annalise looked horrified and Lionel wasn't surprised. Something told me he only thought I was bad for Hayden because his wife did. I got that, but he needed to toughen up and tell her what he thought. I'm biased, but still.

I took a sip of my wine and gave Alice a bitter smile. She shuddered, but said and did nothing. I knew she wouldn't because it wasn't apart of the plan that had been designed so that even she could do it. The poor girl just wanted to be the new me.

"What about the story of how you killed our parents and turned all of us," Alice suggested, speaking and not relying on someone else for once. "I remember hiding in a corner as you stormed into the house. I saw you get even angrier as you saw me. You kept screaming at me and I was crying, but you showed me no mercy."

I know all of this. I was there! She didn't know what I was thinking or what I was going through. It was so hard for me to even return, let alone to return as a blood-sucking killer. That, and I didn't know to control my emotions because I didn't know they were heightened.

"It was so difficult to even go back there," I began to explain, telling my story.

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _As I walked into my old village, everyone turned to stare at me. The men and women knew who I was. They had suspected that the other girl with white hair and light purple eyes was not me. Now they knew it was true and that I am still alive._

 _I walked to the end of the village before Klaus, Rebekah, and Kol joined me. They had agreed to stand by me, no matter what I chose to do. Elijah and Finn didn't want to be apart of the inevitable murder of my parents, so they were waiting in town._

 _It just so happened that Father was leaving the hut when I showed up. Everyone was outside, so Klaus and Kol rushed to block the doors before anyone could get in. Mother stood beside Father, knowing that I wasn't the same_ thing _anymore._

 _Astrid, Alistair, Lili, and Lucas all looked unhappy to see me, Eric was shocked, and Hunter had a small smile on his face. I smiled at my siblings, but only Eric and Hunter returned it. Astrid and Alistair moved next to Mother, while Lili and Lucas were hesitant to do anything._

 _"Did you miss me?" I asked, smiling as if nothing was ever wrong. "I missed most of you. It's so good to see you all again." I noticed everyone staring at Klaus, Kol, and Rebekah. "Don't mind them. They just happen to be the people who convinced their mother to take me in and let me live with them. They are my family."_

 _"We're your family, Thalia," Eric insisted._

 _"Really?" I questioned. "Last I checked, you all stood around as Mother and Father sold me. Hunter was the only one to do anything and he came with me for an hour of the journey before turning back. Maybe we should all do it again. Maybe I'll sell all of you."_

 _"What have you become?" Mother asked, glaring at me. "You were a horrible little beast before, but now you're a monster!"_

 _I began to laugh hysterically, which frightened everyone. Half of my family showed their fear, while the other half tried not to. They may have magic and I don't, but that only makes the playing field even. That, and I don't care about their magic. I'm only here for one reason._

 _"Ah, yes, I remember you called me a horrible little beast when you sold me," I told her, bitterly. "Soon I'll be on the throne of hell and you'll be bowing down to me." I turned to my siblings. "As for the lot of you, I think you should line up."_

 _For once, they actually did what I told them. I think it's because they know something's wrong. Surely it's clear that I'm no longer a thing of nature. I was re-made with magic that is perhaps darker than my own can be._

 _Eric was on one end with Hunter next to him. Next to Hunter was Lili, then it was Lucas, then Alistair let Astrid be on the other end. This was oddly familiar... Oh yes! This was the same line they were in when_ they let me be sold.

 _"Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol, restrain my parents!" I commanded. "Now, my dearest siblings, I've missed so many of your birthdays that I must make up for it. My blood has healing powers and you'll never get sick again if you drink it. You were kinder to me than Mother and Father, so they're being held back."_

 _I bit my wrist and fed a reluctant Eric my blood. Then Hunter drank it when he realised it wasn't going to harm him. Eventually, all of my siblings drunk my blood. I think the offer of never being sick again was enough to convince even Astrid._

 _When I was done, they watched in fascination as my wrist healed up perfectly. There wasn't even a scar and they were amazed. I walked around them and smirked to myself. They're going to get a gift alright. I mean, they're getting immortal life, incredible strength, amazing speed, and the best senses you can have, all for doing nothing as I was sold._

 _Eric and Hunter wanted to help and Hunter did, so before they knew what was happening, I snapped their necks. Mother screamed and Father yelled at me. The rest of my siblings ran, but obviously not fast enough._

 _Alistair was the closest, so I snapped his neck. Then there was Lili and Lucas, who were running away from me together. The fools. I snapped their necks too. That left Astrid, who I had always made my life hell. I slowly moved towards her, as she backed up against a tree. I snapped her neck in one go, then returned to where my parents were._

 _"What have you done?!" Father yelled. "You killed your siblings, but promised to make them well!"_

 _"Oh, don't worry," I said, bitterly. "I gave them a gift in return for the injustice that was done to me. They let you sell me! I had to kill my best friend and at least a hundred other kids, just to survive! Then I had to kill families and send their children to go through the same process! When they awake, they'll be just as strong and as fast as me, as well as immortal."_

 _"You've lost it!" Mother hissed, spitting in my face straight after. "You're a demon! No child of mine would do that! They would just die! I wish you were dead! I should've killed you at birth._

 _I wiped the spit from my face and gave my mother a bitter smile. "Believe me, I wish I was dead too. But, I'm not. That means I'm going to show you what I felt."_

 _I pulled Father forward and sunk my fangs into his neck. He screamed as I dropped him, then kicked him in the ribs, as he had done to me more times than I can count. Mother was begging me to stop, but I didn't listen to her._

 _"This is what it felt like!" I yelled. "Do you enjoy the pain of having your ribs shattered, Father?" He just cursed at me. "No need to despair, I won't kill you. Mother's going to die first."_

 _Before anyone could stop me, I grabbed my mother and threw her to the ground, ensuring she landed in the dirt. That's all she is to me: the dirt under my feet. Maybe if she had've loved me, maybe if she had of had the common decency to pass me onto someone else, then I might've left her._

 _I killed Mother by shattering her legs then picking her up, slamming her against a tree five times, then I sunk my fangs into her neck. That was followed by me hanging her upside down to bleed out while I was killing her husband._

 _Father was sobbing, so I kicked dirt in his face. Mother would scream, but I bit into a major artery and she would die just after I killed Father. I didn't waste time in killing father. I picked up a stick, staked him in the chest with it, and then laughed as he bled out and died quickly._

 _Then I moved into the house, determined to find the things they had refused to let me take with me, such as my dagger. That was where I found Alice, crying in the corner. I'd met my bastard sister before and all she wanted to do was fit in, so I let her._

 _I felt a pang of sympathy as she looked up at me and started to cry even harder. She wasn't one of the ones who sold me. Alice wasn't even there. If she's here, that means her mother is dead or she ran from her._

 _"I'll leave you alive," I told her, kneeling so I could compel her. "You won't remember anything. When you came home, your parents were dead and your siblings were too. You don't know what happened. You had been in the forest, picking flowers."_

 _I got to my feet and walked out. I wasn't going to come back ever again. I'd slayed my demons and they were gone for good..._

 *****END OF FLASHBACK*****

Of course, I didn't tell the story word for word. I told them how I felt when everything happened and that was about it. If they knew exactly what I'd said and done, I would never be allowed near Hayden again.

"Wait, if you didn't turn me, then who did?"


	13. Mysterious

After Alice's discovery, we decided that it was probably Astrid, who see was stupid enough to trust. Of course, if it weren't for the fact that Alice had fallen asleep, I would've said it was Alistair. He always did the things that Astrid refused to because it meant she'd have to get her hands dirty.

Alice had begged Hayden to let her and Carter stay, so he gave in and let them. That ended with a very annoyed Hayden getting kicked out of his room. I wasn't too upset because I got to sleep with him next to me, holding me close.

The fact that Carter and Alice were engaged came up at dinner and everyone found it odd that Carter was ready to settle down at such a young age. In all reality, I don't hate Alice the way I hate Astrid and my resent towards her isn't that bad. I just hope that Carter doesn't hurt her.

Hayden didn't want to let me go when I woke up. He just groaned and pulled me closer. I really wanted to stay there, but I've got things to deal with. Klaus is apparently still alive and he saved Caroline and not me, which really dug deep and would drive a very large, very pointy wedge through our friendship, if it remained.

Since Annalise and Lionel discovered that it wasn't me who turned Alice, they decided that I was good enough for their son. They told me that I was human enough, as well as what Hayden needed. Lionel also added that I was strong enough to protect his son if he ever got into too much trouble.

There was a knock on the door. Annalise was calling for us to get up and have breakfast. Hayden just groaned back, then rolled off the bed and onto the floor, barely landing on his feet. I smiled and sat up, immediately regretting my decision and wanting to go back to bed.

However, I persevered and got dressed. I then sorted out my hair, made sure that my lapis lazuli and onyx rings were both on, and moved my necklace into place. When I was done, Hayden was dressed and had left the room.

I walked out as someone stormed through the door. She was pretty with brown hair and blue-grey eyes. It was obvious that she was related to Hayden and Callum, as well as the fact that she was the eldest. She looked at least twenty-two, where as Callum couldn't be older than twenty and Hayden was clearly seventeen.

"Why couldn't we have this stupid family get-together at my house?!" She asked, snappily. "I mean, I live in a mansion and I didn't need any of you to help me buy it! That, and this small town makes me want to puke!" She turned to me with an angry light in her eyes. "And who even are these three strangers?!"

"Honey, don't you remember Carter?" Annalise asked, as nicely as possible. "He was Hayden's best friend when they were young. Your brother moved here to be with his friend."

"I'm Alice," my half-sister muttered, clearly still upset. "I'm engaged to Carter."

Whoever this girl was, she scoffed and then turned to me. "What about that one?" She asked, pointing at me. "She looks like she's got no class! Did Hayden pick up a whore for the night?!"

I looked down at my black designer jeans, plain blue t-shirt, combat boots and leather jacket. Hayden took my hand and squeezed it, as if to tell me not to retaliate too harshly. He would never stop me, of course.

"I don't know who you think you are, but pointing at people is _awfully_ impolite," I told her, calmly. "I'm Thalia Ashwood. In normal circumstances, I would tell you that it's a pleasure to meet you, but it's really not. You can't just be rude towards people and expect them to kiss your feet."

"Thalia, this is Emma," Hayden informed me. "She's my only sister. I don't have anymore siblings. She's the last to arrive." He then turned to his sister. "Thalia's right. You can't speak to people like that. You're not running your business anymore. You have to be polite."

Emma glared at Hayden. She flicked her hand up, but I grabbed Hayden's arm before he flew across the room. This made the situation worse, as Hayden wanted to fight back. It was my turn to take his hand and squeeze it lightly.

He looked over at me as Annalise cleared her throught. Amy, Alice, and Carter helped her carry out the stacks of pancakes. I turned to Hayden and smiled, remembering how he had made me pancakes two days ago.

We all took our seats at the table. I was between Hayden and Alice. Hayden refused to sit with Carter, who had decided he was no longer friends with Hayden. This was still going and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it were gradual compulsion.

Emma was at the head of the table, with her mother on her right and Carter on her left. Next to Annalise was Lionel, then it was Callum, and then it was an uncomfortable-looking Amy. She'd clearly met this Emma person before and didn't like her.

"So, Emma, how has your business been?" Callum asked, making conversation.

"You mean EMM enterprises?" She replied. "It's been okay. We could be making more than a million a day though. I mean, we own a bunch of smaller companies and we're a law firm too."

There was another few moments of silence as everyone helped themselves to the pancakes. I took two, in order to make it seem as if I wasn't capable of eating all of the pancakes in one go. Sometimes it's good to be able to have no gag-reflex and heightened taste.

I had maple syrup, lemon juice and icing sugar on my pancakes. Hayden gave me a confused look, but shrugged it off. He had whipped cream and strawberries on his. I suppose he was trying to balance out the whipped cream.

"Thalia, you look like you're dressed to go and kick some butt," Amy pointed out, ensuring that all of the attention stayed off of Emma. "What are you doing today?"

"Well, when I came back home after Klaus' death and I was destroyed, something happened and no one thought to tell me," I explained, vaguely. "It turns out Klaus isn't dead. In fact, he was alive all along and didn't think to tell me. Yesterday, when I'd been captured by the council, he rescued Caroline and not me. I'm meant to be his best friend, so I'm going to go and speak to him. I might get into a fight with him, but we'll see."

"Why fight when you can use your money to destroy him?" Emma asked, sneering at me. "Or do you have none?"

"Thalia, don't do it," Hayden whispered. "Don't tell her. She hates your kind more than my mother."

"Well, I don't see why I should spend my money on destroying a fellow Original," I said, smirking. "Not when I'm stronger than the supposedly legendary Klaus Mikaelson."

Everyone was silent as I chewed a bit of my pancakes. All attention was on Emma, who was lucky that no steam was coming out of her ears, like what happens in cartoons. She glared daggers at me as I sat there, eating my pancakes.

Hayden had tensed up and I wanted to tell him to relax, but I was too busy trying to annoy his sister. I did take his hand, which I think was what made Emma snap. She didn't seem to like vampires at all, but especially not me.

"You're one of them!" She hissed. "How could my parents let a vampire near their son?! They are an abomination! A freak of nature! A monster!"

Now all the attention was turned to me. Most people were looking between Emma and I, as if it were a tennis match. I leaned back, finished my pancakes and then smiled at Emma, as politely and kindly as I could manage.

"I've heard it all before," I told her, refusing to drop the smile. "Believe me, I have no intention of hurting or feeding from anyone in this town or the towns near it. I don't know why you hate vampires, although I understand that we unbalanced nature. My intentions are pure and I'm here because I like Hayden a lot more than you'd expect from a vampire."

That seemed to shut Emma up. I stood up and collected all of the empty plates, then took them over to the sink and put them in there. Hayden had relaxed a little, but still seemed extremely annoyed with me. I knew it was with me because he had warned me not to say anything, but I had ignored him.

After hesitating by the sink, I walked over to Hayden, who was sipping his orange juice. He looked a bit grumpy, but I wasn't concerned. I've seen people get a lot more angry than he was acting right now. If I were to name names, Klaus and Rebekah would be the first two names I'd say.

"Do you mind dropping me off at Klaus'?" I asked. "It'll be the last time you ever have to do it. I just have to speak to him and then get my car."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Thanks for breakfast. It was lovely," I said, before following Hayden out the door.

Hayden had already started his car by the time I grabbed my phone and could get out the door. When I got in, he sped off. I was a little worried by the speed we were going, seeing how this is a pretty old car and Hayden doesn't have super-reflexes.

He noticed that I was preparing to have to act quickly and slowed down a bit, but refused to speak. For once, I was unsure of what to say. I've not been as snarky and sarcastic around Hayden as I usually am and it would be odd if I started now.

We sat in silence for five minutes before Hayden decided to turn the radio on. They went from an ad break to playing Beggin' For Thread by Banks. It was a good song, but I didn't really know the words so I couldn't sing along.

"Sorry about getting on your sister's bad side," I muttered, just loud enough that he could hear. "I've not been my usual self lately and I saw my chance. In fact, I've been _nice_ to people. I don't like it."

"You screamed at Elena yesterday and then looked as if you were going to kill her," Hayden reminded me. "I don't think that's being nice. If it is to you, then I don't want to see what you're like when you want to be mean. Anyway, it's not that. It's just the fact that Carter has the audacity to stay at my house."

"He can't go back to my siblings alone," I said, not wanting to pick sides. "I wouldn't do it, even now. You all know about what they were like and about what I did, but that's not even half of it. If you really knew Astrid, you wouldn't go near this town, let alone her."

"Yeah, alright. It's just that he won't talk to me, but he's living with me and he's making my parents think that everything's still okay." Hayden hesitated as we pulled up to Klaus' mansion. "Meet me at the Grill when you're done. Lunch is on me."

I agreed and then got out of the car. Rebekah stormed out of the house with a suitcase and duffel bag and went over to her car. She greeted me, then got into her car and sped off. Either she was still furious with Klaus, he was being a dick, or he refused to see what he did wrong. Probably all three.

As I strolled into the house, I smelt alcohol and decided that Klaus was drinking in the parlour. Even if he wasn't, I was going to help myself to some bourbon because I want to. He was in the parlour, but he didn't notice me until I had the bottle of bourbon in hand and was drinking.

Klaus turned to look at me and braced himself. I just strolled past him and took a seat, kicking my legs up, onto the coffee table. He glared at me, but said nothing. We had an intense stare down in between swigs of bourbon.

"So, you wanna tell me why you rescued Caroline and not your sister and best friend?" I asked, trying to sound calm, despite my anger. "Rebekah's your family, and so am I. Oh, and if you try and tell me you didn't have the time, I know that's a lie. You caused a crash. You had plenty of time."

All Klaus did was stand there and look pathetic. He had no excuse. No reason. In fact, he was probably trying to come up with one and make me forgive him, but I wasn't in the mood to listen to lies. For some reason, I just wanted to kick someone's ass. Maybe it's the bourbon talking.

"She's killable and you're not," Klaus said, looking me in the eyes. "I didn't see how it was fair to let her be taken because you and Bekah are immortal. You know I would've saved you if I had the time. I heard them waking up and you were unconscious."

"Lies!" I yelled. "How they hurt my ears! You could at least come up with a better excuse! Why not try to follow the van and rescue us when you had the chance, because there were plenty of them? You're just wanting her to fall in love with you, so you try and rescue her. The thing you don't see is that you just lost Rebekah, who's been loyal to you forever and I'm going too. I don't even want to look at you. I really only came for my car and a drink."

"Oh, come on!" Klaus yelled. "We're best friends! I'd never leave you to die! You know that!"

"You've done it more times than I can count." My voice was very quiet, but had a hint of anger behind it. "You left me to die all of the times I saved you from Mikael. In fact, leaving me in there was leaving me to be tortured. They would've staked me and shot me and burned me until they got bored of me and put me in a cell for the rest of my life, which is a long time. No best friend would do that."

Klaus looked defeated as I walked out of the parlour, putting the bourbon down as I went. Then, when I got to the front door, I grabbed my car keys off of the hook and walked out. If Klaus really was serious about being my best friend, he would have to prove it.

I got into my car for the first time in about a week. The feel of the leather was nice compared to whatever cotton-like fabric Hayden had in his car. That, and it was nice to be behind the wheel again. I'd missed my baby.

After putting the key in the ignition and actually starting the car, I sped off. The feel of being able to go at such a fast speed is exhilarating. Of course, I slowed down when I got into the town itself, but I was still going quickly.

I parked out front of the Grill and then fixed my hair before walking in. I would rather die than let anyone see that I was upset with Klaus, so I immediately turned on my fake confidence as I walked up to the booths at the back, where Hayden was sitting. He was with a few of his friends, but that didn't matter.

All of Hayden's friends watched me as I approached, but Hayden didn't. He was going to act as if I was just some trophy and that's not going to happen. No one treats me like that, even if it's just an act. I'm an Original and my name strikes fear in the hearts of witches, warlocks, and vampires alike.

"You must be Hayden's friends," I said, smiling. "I'm Thalia."

"It's nice to meet you," one of them told me. "I'm Daniel, this is Sam, this is Kyle, and this is Jordan."

All four boys were clearly confident and they were all handsome, like the normal stereo-typical popular guys. Hayden fit in well with them and so did Carter. It's just something you would notice if you were to see them all together.

Daniel and Sam were similar in looks. They were both tan, with brown hair and brown eyes. However, Sam's hair was curly and had blonde streaks through it. Sam also had the stereo-typical weed smoker look to him. Daniel, however, had a strong jawline and his hair was straight and shaggy.

Kyle was Argentinian and it was obvious. If I was right, both of his parents were Argentinian, but had moved to America before he was born. His tanned skin matched his light brown hair and dark brown eyes.

Jordan was Native American in looks. He had tan skin, chestnut brown eyes with flecks of gold in them and dark brown hair. Jordan was tall and lean, as well as incredibly handsome. If he were a model, I really wouldn't be surprised.

"You two are definitely a thing, right?" Kyle checked. "It's not like you and Kaylee, is it? I mean, you did take her to a dance once, but it was more a friends with benefits kind of set up."

"I think we are," Hayden muttered, looking over at me and getting a nod in return. "I've met Thalia's siblings."

"Only because Carter's dating my half-sister," I reminded him. "That, and they're my biological family, but you haven't met all of the people I consider my family. You only know Klaus if we're going to talk about them, unless you've met Rebekah."

"We all know Rebekah," Sam told me, a small grin on his face. "She's hot, but she turned me down."

I laughed at the dreamy look on Sam's face. He was probably thinking about getting Rebekah naked, but that would never happen. Sam wasn't her type at all. She likes bad boys, but not those who look like they're high all of the time.

"Anyone want a drink?" I asked, getting up. "It's on me."

"You sure you have the money?" Jordan questioned, politely.

"I definitely do and if not, I'll put it on my friend's tab," I said, coolly. "He won't mind. He owes me."

Everyone ordered a coke, so I asked Hayden to come with me to get them. We walked over to the bar together. Damon was there with a grouchy look on his face, but I just smiled at him and then ordered the drinks.

While we waited for the drinks, Hayden turned to look at me. There was an odd look in his eyes and I wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but I didn't. He might take it as an insult or get angry about it, and I didn't want that.

"Are we officially official?" Hayden asked me. "I mean, we're like a normal couple and we live together. That, and I like you as more than a friend. I don't want to pretend anymore. That, and we were sort of official at the dance."

"Well, Mister Silvetti, at least I'm not the only one that feels that way," I told him, quickly kissing him on the lips.

We got the drinks and walked back to the table. Mine was a bourbon and coke, but no one needed to know that. I would need it to get through this conversation. It could take a turn for the worse at any time. They might start talking about something I didn't understand or something gross.

Daniel and I swapped spots and I ended up at the wall, while Daniel could easily leave if he felt like it. I was fine with it, but he almost picked up my drink before I switched them. Everyone had seen us kiss, which made it a little uncomfortable because they were all staring at me.

Before anyone could ask, a teenage girl around our age came over. She immediately was stared at by all of them, apart from Kyle, who made a face. Hayden had a look of lust in his eyes, as well as a hint of sadness.

Whoever this girl was, she was clearly very pretty. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. I did notice that she was one of those girls who would be labelled a slut. Unfortunately, she did make herself easy, just from the flirtatious look she gave all of the guys. If she let them chase after her, she'd probably be fine and still get what she wanted.

She slid past Daniel and sat on Hayden's lap, facing him. He was shocked for a second, but then he let a little smirk show and rested his hands on her ass. Whoever this girl was, she didn't seem to mind. I was feeling jealous, but I plastered on a fake smile anyway.

"Sorry, but who are you?" I asked her, as politely as I could manage.

"I'm Kaylee," she told me, with a look of disdain. "You must be Thalia, the girl my boyfriend here took to the dance. Hun, you should look for another. He only said yes out of pity. The make-up sex was great, just in case you want to fantasize."

I just smiled at them both, then got up and slid past them. Daniel, Kyle, Sam and Jordan all had a look of disgust on their faces, but none of them said anything. It was probably a rule of their friendship: don't say anything about who I do.

Damon was down at the bar and was watching me storm over to him. When I reached where he was, I flopped down and stole his glass of bourbon. I drunk the entire glass in one go, just to earn an annoyed look from Damon.

He said nothing, but then ordered two more drinks. I assumed the bartender was compelled because he just poured the drinks and didn't even ask about my age or Damon's. Gratefully, I took the new glass of bourbon and drunk that too, just to have it refilled straight after.

"Slow down," Damon said, taking my third glass before I could take it like a shot. "What happened? Was it the new boyfriend? I can beat him up if you want. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm meant to do for my friends."

"Damon, I can kick his ass myself," I told him, smiling sadly. "I live with him and it turns out he was with her while trying to keep our fake relationship going, which was real when we kissed before."

"Well, you can try to stay sober and listen to me because we've got bigger problems," Damon insisted. "So, I assume you know about the Town Council blowing up, which surely you know was no accident. I also assume you saw the pictures, so they must've blown themselves up, which is weird."

"Is anything actually classified as weird for Mystic Falls? Anyway, yeah I saw the newspaper and then looked at the photos by hacking into the system the police use. They did that for sure, but why?"

"That's what I'm wondering. However, everyone seems to think that I did it. Sheriff Forbes and Elena both accused me of it." Damon paused and gave me my drink back. "Then I find out that there's a new hunter in town, who's walking over right now. He shot Tyler, just so you know."

Before I could look up and really look at this hunter, he reached my side. He gave Damon a bitter smile and they just had a stare-down for a few seconds. The hunter was African-American, clearly muscular and he was tall. His hair and eyes were both dark brown and he seemed powerful for some reason.

Usually vampire hunters are just humans, so they seem like it. However, this kind of power I'd only sensed in five men and they all died before they could have children. They were the Brotherhood of the Five, who had turned on the Originals in 1114.

"Miss Ashwood, I'm Detective Connor Jackson of the FBI," he told me, formally. "I'm here because a few people suggested that you may have something to do with the explosion on the Young farm. We just have to look into it."

"Can I see your badge?" I asked, coolly.

He handed me his badge and I looked at it. It was definitely a fake, seeing how I stole the badge of an actual FBI agent and keep it in my room, but it was a good fake. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was real.

I handed him the badge back, but made the mistake of touching his black gloves. If I hadn't of been just giving him back the badge, I would've burned my hand because it was covered with vervain. Now I know how Tyler was caught.

"Wait, wasn't the explosion an accident?" Damon questioned, playing dumb.

"We have reason to think otherwise, but it might be," Connor lied, although it was a smooth lie. "Do you mind coming with me to the station, Miss Ashwood? You can either come with me or I'll have to arrest you."

"There's no point in either," I stated. "I'm only seventeen, so I need to have my legal guardian with me. That's going to prove an issue because he's currently in Atlanta, dealing with family matters. I'll also need a lawyer, but it would take him more than a day to get to Mystic Falls from New York."

Connor looked even more surprised than he was before. I almost grinned, but then I remembered that this was meant to be a serious matter. Without saying another word, Connor walked off and I grinned at Damon.

I then used that time to finish off my third drink, so Damon ended up ordering an entire bottle of bourbon for us to share. After my sixth drink, which was just over a minute after we got the bottle, I came up with a brilliant idea. Whether or not Hayden had feelings for me wouldn't matter.

Damon saw the scheming in my eyes and poured me another drink, clearly wanting to know what I had in mind. I took it and sipped it this time, really thinking about the plan. It was good, seeing how I was the one who thought it up.

"What do you think of me inviting an Original brother over to the house and acting flirtatious?" I asked, smirking. "Hayden will be home, of course. It can't backfire because it's either going to be Kol or Klaus, and if he does have feelings for me it just works better. He's a warlock and they usually hate us."

"I think that it's a great idea, apart from the fact that Klaus is the only one still in town and you got into a fight with him," Damon told me, pointing out the one flaw in my plan. "Otherwise, it's a good plan. I'm just glad you didn't ask me to help."

"He knows of you," I said, sipping my bourbon. "He knows you're in love with Elena, so it wouldn't work too well." I got up, finished my drink, and then smiled. "Anyway, I have a call to make and a plan to work on."

I kissed Damon on the cheek and then walked off. Sam had seen me kiss Damon, but then Daniel said something and he relaxed. Without glancing at Hayden and Kaylee, I pulled out my phone and walked out.

Kol's number was in my favourites, seeing as he called me quite a bit. He was enjoying using all of the new technology he hadn't even thought of. I dialed it and waited for him to pick up. As he picked up, he hesitated.

"How fast can you get to Mystic Falls?"


	14. Meeting Expectations

Thankfully, Kol was no longer in Atlanta and was actually only three hours away. He was going to visit anyway, which was good. With my request, he sped to Mystic Falls and was here within an hour and a half.

When I had arrived home, I noticed that Hayden's family weren't home. There was a note on the fridge, saying that they had gone to New York at Emma's request. I couldn't say I was sad, but I didn't know how Hayden would take it.

I still had two bottles of bourbon from when I thought Klaus was dead and had broken down, so I got a glass out of the cupboard and poured myself a drink. Alcohol controls the hunger, so even though I'm hungry and currently have no blood source, I can wait for a few more hours.

Sometimes when I used get angry and hungry, I would feed on small villages, but we're no longer in Medieval times and someone would probably notice. That, and there's a new vampire hunter in town and he probably knows what I am. Everyone seems to know of me, which isn't much of a surprise.

Hayden must've thought that he would get away with what he did and that I wouldn't strike back, but he is so wrong. I've been around for one thousand and nineteen years now. He might get away with it if he were to do this to someone else, but not me.

Kol was only one part of my plan, but no one else needed to know that. Of course, as soon as Kaylee was in my sights and I was done with hopefully making Hayden jealous, I would threaten to kill her. It was a win-win situation for me.

I'm not known to be vicious and cruel for no reason. He must've thought he had tamed the wild Thalia Ashwood, but he hadn't. No one can tame me because I'm a person, not a wild beast and I do not want to be tamed. I want to kill and do what I please. It's what I was trained to do. It's hard-wired into my brain.

There was a knock on the door, so I went to see who it was. I knew it was Kol, but I still went to check who it was. As soon as I had gotten back here, I texted Hayden and told him a friend was coming over. He said it was okay, which counts as an invitation.

When I got to the door and opened it, Kol had one hand on the door frame. He was leaning against the frame and had a devilish smile on his face. His brown hair was recently cut and his brown eyes glinted. It was clear that he knew I had planned something, or he would've taken his time.

"Come in," I said. "Hayden said I could have a friend over, so I guess that's an invitation."

Kol stood up straight and then strolled into the house. He looked around and saw the bottle of bourbon on the bench in the kitchen. Being the cocky person he was, Kol just assumed that he could get a glass and help himself.

"So, what could Thalia Ashwood possibly need my help for?" Kol asked, jokingly. "I feel so inferior next to you. Just looking at you makes me want to drop to my knees and pledge allegiance to you."

"Shut up," I said, trying to hide the amusement in my voice. "You and I are going to get revenge."

"Please tell me you've found another way for us to lock Klaus' immortal ass away forever," Kol begged, sitting on the bench and looking at me. "He should fear being put in a sleep like we do. If only we could make those silver daggers gold or bronze."

"You tried that, but Klaus trapped your witches and put a dagger in your heart." Kol now remembered this and sighed. "It's more of a personal revenge. I was this one guy's false girlfriend, but then we were official when he took me to the dance. Today we were officially official, but it turns out he cheated on me after the dance and still is."

Kol laughed and sipped his bourbon. I knew that the only reason he laughed was because he knew I was going to get my revenge and it would be a good plan. My plans are always good. It's just a fact that everyone will eventually come to accept.

I went over my plans with Kol, and then got myself a drink. He happily agreed to my plan, which was no surprise. Kol and I already had a flirtatious relationship, so this wouldn't be too hard. We usually flirted with each other as a joke, which had pissed Klaus off when I was with him.

We went over to the couch as I got myself a drink. Hayden's car had just pulled up, which Kol noticed. He took my drink, put it on the coffee table and pulled me onto his lap, so I was straddling him. Kol, of course, smirked and bit his lip.

Hayden entered the living room as I kissed Kol. Two noises of disgust could be heard, as I pulled back and acted as if Kol and I had just made out. He pouted, although it was just an act. I have to admit, Kol's good at this.

"What's wrong?" Kol asked, sliding me closer to him.

"See for yourself," I said, moving so I was standing in front of Kol.

As I had hoped, Kol got to his feet and wrapped an arm around my waist before turning around. He saw Hayden and there was a brief flicker of anger on his face, before Kol put the façade back up and smiled at the new-comers. He showed no attention to Kaylee and kept his eyes on Hayden.

"You must be Hayden," Kol said, extending his hand. "I'm Kol."

Hayden just stared at Kol's hand, but he did shake it. If not, Kol would've attacked Hayden before we could have any fun. He did it every time. If you disrespect Kol, he'll kick your ass and probably kill you after.

"You're the girl that left earlier," Kaylee stated, smiling at me. "Thalia, right? We should all sit down and get to know each other."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," I agreed, before either Kol or Hayden could argue.

We all sat down on the couches. They were across from each other, so Kol and I sat on one side while Kaylee and Hayden sat on the other. Kaylee was drawing circles on Hayden's thigh, which was clearly making it difficult for him to focus.

Kol pressed a kiss to my neck, so I instinctively tilted my head to the side to allow him to continue. Just to annoy me, he actually let his fangs slip out a little and bit me on the neck. I whacked his thigh, but made it seem playful.

He pulled away and I looked over at Hayden and Kaylee, with a small smile on my lips. Hayden was annoyed and Kaylee had a disgusted look on her face. Kol held me close and placed his hand on my jean-clad thigh, so his fingers were close to my other thigh.

"No wonder Hayden had to take you to the dance," Kaylee said, staring at Kol. "You two wouldn't be able to stop grinding against each other."

"Actually, I go to university in Seattle," Kol lied, smoothly. "I have a few days off, so I came to see Thalia. This town is so small and disappointing. The food disappoints me and so do the people."

"Yeah, well, you're both ancient so who cares?" Kaylee asked, making Kol tense up while he tried to control himself. "Thalia, you look like a twenty-one year-old prostitute trying to disguise herself as an average teenager, and you're boyfriend's at least twenty-five."

Before anyone could stop me, I moved from my seat and had Kaylee by the throat. I lifted her across the room and stood between Hayden and Kol, where they could both see me. Kaylee kicked me in the shin, but it didn't hurt at all.

Hayden froze and a cruel grin appeared on Kol's face. He knew I would at least terrorize Kaylee, if not kill her. I am feeling a bit hungry...

"You're right, I am ancient," I told her, grinning as tears ran down her cheeks and she gasped for air, but found none. "I'm 1019, to be exact. You messed with the wrong Original vampire." My fangs slipped out and I laughed. "Hayden and I were dating for exactly two minutes, but I suppose I was just a distraction to him."

"Let her go, Thalia," Hayden insisted. "This isn't you. You're angry and can be ruthless, but you're kind and wouldn't do something like this. Please don't hurt her."

"As you say," I pretended to agree, dropping her so she fell on her ass.

Kaylee gasped for air and rubbed her throat. She looked at Hayden, expecting him to move to her side, but he knew better than that. My fangs were still visible, as were the veins under my eyes. I was ready to feed and the alcohol wasn't helping anymore.

I didn't care anymore. Hayden would realize that I'm the worst of the Originals, but it might take a while for him to accept it. He really thought I was still a child, living with my siblings and being protected by Eric.

Now I have to protect myself. I made Eric what he is, and he couldn't protect me from it. No one was going to be there to protect you from the darkness. Sometimes it just visits, but it consumed me and I fought it. I fought it and joined with it, accepting it's embrace like an old friend.

"What the hell are you?!" Kaylee asked, clearly in fear.

"An Original vampire," I told her, calmly. "We're the strongest, fastest, best of our kind. This town is full of people like me, but none of them as strong as me. Kol's an Original too. You messed with the wrong Ashwood."

"Why are you doing this?" Hayden asked.

"Well, you did decide to screw with my emotions, so I decided to do the same," I revealed, trying to hide my sadistic amusement.

"You're a freak!" Kaylee screamed, getting up and running at me.

Before she could actually hit me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her in close. I sunk my fangs into her neck and she screamed and struggled, but it was no use. When I retracted my fangs, she would be a bit dizzy, but otherwise fine.

Hayden had tears in his eyes, and I don't know if he was afraid or upset, but I didn't care. Kaylee was too out of it to do anything other than sit on the ground, so Kol rolled his eyes and let her fall onto the ground.

"This isn't you," Hayden whispered. "You're not like this. You're not a monster."

"You're a fool if you don't believe I'm a monster," I told him, wiping the blood off of my mouth with the back of my hand. "I've been a monster since I killed another child to survive, if not before. I killed a man when I was a child, but no one's explained why. I like killing and scaring people."

"To think I actually had feelings for you," he said, blinking back his tears. "I thought you were good, so I let you stay. I was going to get rid of Kaylee to be with you. Now I can't trust you, but I'm surprised it's taken me this long to realize what you're really like. I want you out of my house and out of my life. I don't care if you have nowhere to go, just get out."

Something within me broke, but it could be mended. It was the part of me that felt wanted. Kol had been gone, Klaus hates me, Rebekah's god knows where, and everyone else is so in love with Elena that they don't care for me. Then there was Hayden, who did.

I'm a fool! Of course I destroy the trust of the one person who was here for me and cared for me! Why do I care? I am fire! I am death! I'm not a weak little child who needs someone to care about them! I'm the most feared Original!

"I have to visit Klaus," Kol said, looking down at his phone. "Try not to kill him. He would be a good guy if he hadn't of messed with you."

Kol left and Kaylee began to sob, after realizing what's happening. Hayden was pacing back and forth and I cursed at myself because I'd royally screwed up. Of course I destroyed the trust of the one person who lives near me and cares for me.

There is a way that I could fix all of this, but was I willing to compel Hayden? If he found out, he would remember it all and hate me for it. It's the only way, and it would be better, seeing how there's a hunter in town and he would take me hostage the first chance he got.

I walked over to Kaylee, who screamed at me and curled up into a ball. Deciding not to be gentle, I bit my wrist and fed her a few drops of my blood. Then I held her head up and forced her to look me in the eyes so I could compel her.

"You and I met at the Mystic Grill, where I got annoyed with you because you were being rude," I told her, knowing the compulsion was working. "After that, you came back here and found out that Hayden was going to break up with you, so you broke up with him first. My friend Kol was here, but you didn't pay either of us much attention. Now go home."

Kaylee got up and walked out, as if nothing had happened. In her mind, nothing had. However, Hayden and I knew better. I had fed off her and scared her. If I hadn't of compelled her, she wouldn't sleep at night. She would constantly be looking over her shoulder.

When I looked at Hayden, I could see the disgust on his face. It didn't hurt much, seeing how he hated what I had just done and would hate me for it. It's just a little scratch upon a field of cuts that were so deep the scars can be opened with one small memory. Good thing it's all in a vault.

I just picked up the bottle of bourbon and drank straight out of it. Once upon a time, drinking it so fast tickled my throat, but not anymore. Now my alcohol tolerance is on a level that can only be challenged by Damon, and alcohol doesn't even tickle my throat.

Hayden glared at me as I sat down and brought the bourbon to my lips. If I were human, I imagine there would be a feeling of warmth or something, but I'm not. I don't even get hot or cold. My temperature is always neutral.

The room was silent, apart from the sounds of Hayden breathing, his heartbeat, and the sounds of me drinking. If I listened hard enough, I could hear birds chirping. How I hate birds. I'll be having a dream about something that amuses me, then they'll start cawing and wake me up.

"I said you need to get out of my house," Hayden told me, finally breaking the silence. "I don't want to see you ever again."

"No," I said, simply. "You can't make me leave and she deserved that. She's got to learn that you can't be rude to people like that. You shouldn't call someone you don't know ancient and not even I make fun of people for their appearance. If I were Kol or any of the other Originals, you'd be dead and so would she. Be thankful I'm not. Now, are we going to talk this out or not?"

"You're a monster!" He yelled, snapping. "I could see that you were going to kill her! You wanted to kill her! Maybe if you weren't the only one you cared about then I would ask you to be my girlfriend! I have feelings for you, but you're so unstable and dangerous that I don't want to! I don't want to be scared of what you can do!"

I got to my feet and walked over to Hayden in two long strides. Thankfully, he didn't take a step back. I pressed my lips to his and he kissed me back, for reasons that neither of us knew. He pulled me close, so our bodies were touching.

"No," he muttered. "I don't have any feelings for you. Not even sexual ones."

"Your friend downstairs says different," I said, laughing as he blushed so red he looked like a tomato.

A smirk formed on my face as Hayden's face went back to it's normal colour, instead of red. However, the bulge in his pants wasn't wanting to hide just yet, which frustrated him. It amused me to see him try to deny his feelings.

I got the bottle of bourbon again and began to drink. Hayden snatched it from me and tried to chug it down, but he had to stop because it was burning his throat. He began to cough as he sat the bottle down.

"How do you drink that?" He asked, between coughs. "Crap. I can't breathe."

"What do you mean you can't breathe?" I asked, worriedly.

Hayden really was struggling to breathe. I picked up the bottle and sniffed it, then almost dropped it. It was laced with a poison that makes it hard for you to breathe, then you throw up. After that, your vision becomes blurry, you begin to choke on air, and then you die. It was around in 1114, which was when I learned about it.

I swore as Hayden began to throw up and struggle to breathe at the same time. This meant the poison was stronger, so all I could do was hope that the cure would still work. Vampire blood makes it worse, so I ran to the kitchen.

It's been eight hundred years since I've had to do this, but thankfully the ingredients are now common. I needed to make a wine-type of drink. We had plenty of wine, so I took a bottle and then grabbed some salt, thyme from the cupboard, and garlic.

Then I ran back to where Hayden was, as he kept throwing up, but now it was into a bucket. I didn't ask where he got the bucket from, seeing how I had a task at hand. Hayden stopped throwing up and then he stumbled backwards, causing me to swear because the poison was working faster than expected.

I poured a glass of wine, then added salt. Then I smashed the two little garlics with my fist and added them to the drink. After that, I added the thyme and hissed, so some of my venom would go into the drink. I had discovered that where my blood didn't work, my venom actually made the antidote work faster.

"Just trust me and drink this," I told Hayden, handing him the drink. "It's going to taste like crap, but you'll die if you don't."

Hayden drunk it all in one go, shuddering when he was done. I helped him sit down as the poison was fought. Within a few minutes, he'd relaxed, but was very quiet.

"What just happened?" Hayden asked. "I was coughing, then throwing up and I couldn't see for a while. Then I had to drink that disgusting mixture."

"Someone poisoned my bourbon," I stated. "My money's on the new hunter. I knew something was off about him. It doesn't effect me, but if a human has it then they'll die." I paused. "Am I forgiven for saving your life? I didn't have to, but I did."

"This is the only time," Hayden grumbled. "I guess we're going to have to clean up now."

"No, you are." I stood up and smoothed out my jeans. "I have a few people to warn and an old book to go through. That was an old poison they tried to kill you with. If I hadn't of had a lot of experience with it eight hundred years ago, you'd be dead. They'll try old poison's again, and I need to know the antidote for each of them."

I kissed Hayden on the forehead, then dodged the pools of throw up. Connor Jackson had been the one to do this and I know it. He's messing with the wrong Original vampire...


	15. Shots Fired

I'd gotten a call from Stefan to go over to his house. Hayden didn't care because he was still angry with me, despite the fact that I was forgiven because I saved his life. Now that it's been two days since I tried to make Hayden jealous, I didn't care, but it seems it's human to keep caring.

Of course, I wasn't ready for the memorial for all of the people killed in the explosion. I didn't even want to go, but Hayden insisted that I do because people will get suspicious if I don't. Apparently now that everyone thinks I'm with him, I have to act like I'm apart of this town community.

I threw on a pair of black skinny jeans, a Guns N Roses tank top with the Appetite for Destruction album cover on it, my black converse and I brushed my hair. My necklace and rings were on, of course. I only took them off to shower, swim and sleep.

Then I was out the door and speeding towards the Salvatore Boarding House. Stefan had asked me as someone groaned behind him. I assumed that they would need my assistance for something. For some reason, I was hoping I got to kill someone.

I slowed down as I drove down the driveway, and then parked under the cover. Someone other than a Salvatore brother was here, as there car was in the driveway too. I didn't think about that as I locked my car and walked over to the door.

Instead of knocking on the door, I just let myself in. Stefan and Caroline were standing over someone, who I didn't know. They both spun to face me, ready to attack. I lifted my arms in surrender and walked over.

"Who's the hybrid friend that got shot?" I asked, looking at the bullet wounds.

"Tyler Lockwood," he muttered, weakly.

"Well, Tyler, I'm Thalia Ashwood and you're lucky I'm here to lend my expertise," I told him, looking into his wounds. "The bullets are out, but this guy knew what he was doing. You'd be dead if it weren't for the fact that you're a hybrid."

"Thalia, you're here for a reason other than to point out the obvious," Stefan told me, annoyed. "Look at the bullets. I've never seen anything like it and it burns when a vampire touches it."

The bullets were wrapped up in a cloth, so I had to unfold it. Tyler pushed himself so he was sitting up and Caroline was really worried. When I studied the bullets, I realized I would have to turn them to see them properly.

Thankfully, the light in this room was focused on Tyler, so there was enough shadows to wrap around my hand as I picked a bullet up and inspected it. It burned through the shadows somehow, so I dropped it to the table and swore. Luckily, I had gotten a good look at it.

My fingers healed quickly, but no one spoke. They had seen the shadows and the way the bullet had burned through it. It was made by a hunter of the Brotherhood of the Five, who were a group of vampire hunters that Klaus had killed in 1114.

"Do you know anything about them?" Stefan asked. "Maybe their origin."

"I know a lot about them," I said, taking a seat in the armchair. "I know that whoever made these bullets put a poison in my drink and nearly killed Hayden. They didn't expect me to know the cure. With these bullets, they weren't spelled, but the person who made them technically was."

"What do you mean?" Caroline questioned. "Is this new hunter a warlock or something?"

"It's complicated," I told them, getting to my feet. "I have to go. There's something I need to do."

Hayden was muttering something to himself as I walked out of my room. He was struggling to properly tie his tie. I just sighed, walked over to him, and did it myself. This annoyed him further, but he chose not to say anything.

I stepped back and smiled at him. He was wearing black suit pants, a white dress shirt, a black tie, and a black suit jacket. Hayden actually rocked a normal suit, which shouldn't surprise me, but he did. He was a popular kid and sometimes it's hard to imagine people like that rocking a suit.

His eyes were on me as I walked off to get my car keys. I was wearing a black dress that hugged my body and showed a little bit of cleavage, but not a lot. My necklace was in clear sight, which I was sort of annoyed about. You can always see my rings, but I like to hide my necklace, especially from all of my siblings.

We left the house and got into my car. When I had gotten back from the Salvatore Boarding House, I had insisted that we take Hayden's car because I didn't want to draw attention from the memorial to my car, but it turns out his broke down.

Seeing how there was someone else in the car with me and they could break very easily, I decided not to speed. That ended with me impatiently tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I got closer and closer to the church.

Who had decided that the roads should only have one lane each? It's infuriating when the entire town is using the only road to the church! Surely they thought about this, or were their precious fields of dead grass too precious?

"For gods sake!" I hissed, getting impatient with moving about an inch every minute. "I'm going to kill someone!" I paused and realized what I had said. "That wasn't meant to be disrespectful and before you get any ideas, it wasn't me who blew up the council."

"You really need to learn how to control your road rage," Hayden stated, still angry with me. "Even if you didn't mean to be disrespectful, you should really think about what you're going to say before you say it."

"It slipped out!" I defended, becoming even more annoyed. "When someone punches you really hard, a swear word will slip out and I wouldn't judge you for that, so don't judge me for accidentally saying I was going to kill someone. I saved your life and by all rights, you should owe me, so get over your anger."

"You were going to kill someone just because you were jealous!"

"You can shut up or you can walk to the church. Although, you'd probably get there before I would. So just shut up."

Silence fell upon the car again, so I turned the radio on. Mystic Fall's only radio station played songs that were hits about six months before. Now they're just annoying and over-played, so I used bluetooth and connected it to my phone.

Sympathy For The Devil by Guns N Roses started playing and I almost laughed. Hayden didn't seem to be amused and changed the song. It had been a coincidence and he knew it, but it was still funny. If only he understood my humour.

After a while, we finally parked outside the church and everyone stared at me and my car. I accidentally ended up looking really hot and drawing attention to myself and the car wasn't helping. Then there's the fact that I'm wearing heels and my legs look good in them.

Hayden took my hand and we walked inside. His friends were at the front of the church, but Caroline and Tyler were at the back. He noticed this issue and turned to look at me. I was fine with it if we sat apart. I don't need to be comforted.

"Go sit with your friends and I'll sit with mine," I told him, letting go of his hand.

"We'll sit with Tyler and Caroline," Hayden insisted. "We have to keep our appearances up."

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. We walked over to Caroline and Tyler, who had just been talking to Stefan. He was the row ahead of us and despite the fact that he still doesn't like me much, he gave me the courtesy of a small smile.

"Why are you here?" I asked Tyler, who was standing between Hayden and Caroline. "If that hunter's here-"

"You're in danger too," Stefan cut-off. "Damon told me you taunted him and he poisoned your drink."

"Yeah, but the difference is that I can't be killed," I pointed out. "Tyler, however, is a very easy target. It's a choice between the overly-confident vampire who radiates power, or the hybrid-vampire, who is not as powerful as I am."

"We should just focus on this memorial and if he shows up, we can kick his ass," Caroline decided, in order to stop the bickering.

All four of us sat down, and Stefan turned to face the front. Hayden took my hand again, but I pulled it away. He smiled and tried to show that we were meant to keep up appearances, but I didn't care at all. I moved close to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

My bloodlust hit me hard as I could hear the blood running through his veins, but I ignored it. He just smiled and wrapped his arm around me. Hayden was really warm and his blood smelt sweet, but I had to control myself.

Carol Lockwood, who is Tyler's mum and the mayor of the town, walked up to the podium. Everyone fell silent and those who weren't already sitting took their seats. You could tell that the memorial was about to begin. It was as if you could feel it.

"Before you begin the Mass, we'd like to open the floor to anyone who would like to share a memory about out late friends on the Town Council," Carol stated. "I know that April Young wanted to say a few words about her dad. April? April, are you still here, honey?"

No one moved and I assumed that this April girl was trying to handle her grief somewhere else. I really understand that. I'm not a fan of funerals or memorials myself. They're never fun or entertaining or even interesting. That, and death reminds me of what should have been my childhood.

"Is there anyone else who would like to share a recollection or a memory about Pastor Young?" Carol asked.

No one stood for a long moment. Carol just looked around, surprised. Elena was the one to stand up. She was invited up, so she started the walk from her seat up to the podium. At that moment, Damon entered the church. Caroline, Tyler, Hayden, Stefan and I all turned to look at him.

Damon dipped his fingers in the bowl of holy water before making the sign of the cross. He then took a seat next to Stefan, who had moved so he was on the other side of the church and a row ahead of us. That was when we all turned our attention back to Elena, who looked as if she hadn't fed since last time.

"She doesn't look so good," Damon pointed out, even though it was obvious to all of us.

"Maybe you should have told me she was rejecting all food sources," Stefan muttered, jealously.

"Jealousy's beneath you, brother," Damon taunted.

Stefan muttered something back, but I tuned out because Elena began to speak at the same time. No wonder she looked like crap. My money was on the fact that Stefan had tried to get her to try his bunny diet and her body rejected it, so now she's struggling to keep her blood down, unless it comes from the vein. It happens sometimes.

Feeding off animals is stupid. Vampires are meant to feed from humans, and it tastes better from the vein. Eating animals makes it harder for you to get back on track if you go off the rails because you're used to a source from a human vein, then you go back to drinking crappy blood.

Elena froze and gripped the sides of the podium. I decided to tune back in and I could hear something dripping. When I smelt blood, I froze too. Why didn't I just go and get a few blood bags? I haven't fed in two days and I hadn't fed for three days before that.

"Do you smell that?" Caroline asked us.

"Blood," Tyler and I answered at the same time.

"Nobody move," I whispered, knowing that Elena, Stefan, Damon, Caroline and Tyler would all hear me because of their vampire hearing. "Don't turn around. It's a trap. Damon, whatever you do, do not go to kill him. I've come across his kind of hunter before and he'll kill you with ease."

Thankfully, before Elena could reveal herself and end up revealing the rest of us, Stefan joined her and escorted her back to her seat. I breathed out a sigh of relief, but still struggled with my own bloodlust. If I were a young vampire, we would all be screwed.

"Please turn to page forty two in your hymn book," the priest requested, pulling my focus away from the blood that was dripping. "Let us join together in a song."

Everyone stood and began to sing. I stood there and stared down at the ground. Hayden, Caroline and Tyler noticed this, but none of them spoke. I was focusing on keeping my fangs from coming out. I'm an Original, I have more restraint than this.

"When was the last time you fed?" Caroline asked me, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Two days ago, but I didn't get enough because up until then, I hadn't fed for three days," I whispered back. "I'm an Original. I'll be fine."

"Don't lose control then," Tyler muttered.

Hayden was thinking about something, but I didn't ask what. Standing next to him and hearing his heart beat and the blood rush through his veins wasn't helping. He pulled me into a hug, which really didn't help and he knew it.

"Feed," he whispered. "I know you can control yourself, but will you be able to when this is over? What if you can't control yourself when we're driving home?"

I pressed my head into Hayden's neck and let my fangs slip out. Then I bit into the part of his neck that was next to his shoulder and made crying sounds as I fed. When I'd taken just under a litre of blood, I licked Hayden's neck and then pulled back.

The blood was gone and the bite was healing, so I wiped the blood off of my mouth with the back of my hand. Tyler went to walk away, but I grabbed his wrist before he could. He turned to glare at me, but then saw my determination and calmed down.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, quietly.

"Talk," he said. "I can hear Elena feeding off of Matt and Damon's going to go kill the guy, so I'm going to act as bait."

"The hell you are," I scoffed. "I can't be killed, so I'll go."

Quickly but carefully, I slid out of the row and walked up the side of the church and over to the podium. Everyone watched me as I walked over. This is quite possibly one of the stupidest things I've done, just because of the simple fact that usually I'm all for self-preservation.

As I passed Carol Lockwood, she smiled at me reassuringly. There was no doubt that she knew what I am, but I don't care. Why should I? Even if the entire town knew, they can't do anything about it because I'm immortal and they're not.

"Excuse me," I said, interrupting the song. "I just wanted to say a few things about the Town Council."

Everyone sat back down as I prepared myself. I wasn't nervous, but I just hate speaking in front of large groups of people that will undoubtedly judge me. This was going to be difficult.

"As some of you may know, I've not been in this town long," I began. "When I arrived and the ball was thrown by my family, the members of the town council all welcomed me as if we had known each other for years. I look around this town and see all of the good that they have done; from helping re-build the Wickery Bridge to inspiring my friends and those of us who are still young and-"

Before I could say 'impressionable', something pierced my chest and I fell to the floor. I hissed out a few curse words and stringed them into a very angry sentence. Everyone was screaming and running out of the church as Carol Lockwood came over to my side and kneeled next to me.

I was still swearing as Caroline, Tyler, Hayden, Elena, and Stefan joined me. Caroline went to grab the stake in my chest and pull it out, but I got there first. I swore loudly as I pulled it out and threw it away from me.

I began to cough, but my body quickly healed itself. Hayden kneeled beside me and I could see that he was concerned. I smiled at everyone as I forced myself up, a grimace forming on my face and a groan escaping past my lips.

"I'm going to kill that bastard and everyone he even slightly cares about!" I hissed, somehow managing to stay sitting up.

"Damon's way ahead of you on the killing him part," Stefan stated. "Stay here. I have to help him."

Caroline, Stefan and Elena all began to talk to each other, but I focused on healing my body as fast as I could. Carol watched in awe and surprise as I healed faster than she'd ever seen a vampire heal. If she could see me when I fight, she would faint at how fast I heal.

Hayden's neck had healed, which was good. He moved so he was sitting next to me and helping keep me up right. I winced as the wound finally healed up. Carol had gone to get everyone to clear out and lie about the fact that an ambulance was coming.

I rested my head on Hayden's shoulder as Tyler handed me a blood bag. He had used his heightened speed to go and get me one, then bring it back. I thanked him and then drank it as quickly as I could. I was hungry again, seeing how a stake had been shot into my chest.

"Shots fired," I muttered, smirking because shots were literally fired.

"Are you three?" Hayden asked, shocked by my choice to joke about being shot. "You just got shot in the chest and you made a joke about it! Why am I with you if you keep making stupid jokes like that?!"

"You admitted it! You're not angry with me anymore!" I exclaimed, moving to kiss him and groaning in pain because my internal organs weren't done healing yet.

"Try not to re-open the wound," Carol insisted, walking over. "Did you know that was going to happen? Did you plan that little stunt because you wanted attention?"

I looked down at the ground and then handed Tyler the empty blood bag. Carol had a demanding look in her eyes. It was as if she needed to know whether or not I had planned to get shot in the chest.

"Why the hell would I plan to get shot in the chest?!" I asked, angrily. "This isn't the first time I've been shot, but it's about as enjoyable as the last. As for you accusing me of wanting attention, why would I want it? The only reason I got up and said anything was because it would've been Tyler in my place if I didn't. Be grateful that your son didn't get shot because he's killable."

Finding some strength, I pushed myself to my feet and walked past Carol. Hayden followed me and I tossed him my car keys. He was driving because I would probably crash.

Hayden and I were sitting on his bed, watching Mean Girls. He had never seen it before and because I'd gotten shot, I was making him watch it. We were eating cookies and cream ice-cream, there was a bowl of popcorn and we had a two-litre bottle of lemonade and a two-litre bottle of coke.

After this, we were going to watch Final Destination and then Wolf Creek. He had asked me what Wolf Creek was and I explained that it was a thriller movie that's really popular in Australia. It's based on a true story, which makes it even creepier. The second ones a lot scarier, but the first has a good story.

Stefan had asked me to join him and a few others for a stupid lantern-lighting ceremony to let go of the past. I had told him over the phone that it was stupid because even if we let go of the past, we'll still have memories of it. That, and I didn't want to let go of the past because in my recent past, I got shot.

"I'm glad he didn't do any actual damage," Hayden told me, being all cute and stuff. "When I saw the stake hit you, it looked like it got you in the shoulder, but I was still worried. I mean, you can't be killed, but still."

"Stop being so cute," I said, annoyed. "You're meant to hate me because I'm a monster. I liked the fact that there was a challenge. I like challenges."

"Do you?" He asked, smirking.

Hayden kissed me, so I kissed back. His lips were soft and it was evident that he knew what he was doing. His tongue ran along my lip, begging for entrance, so I let it. Our tongues fought for dominance, although mine didn't try to hard.

When we pulled apart, Hayden was out of breath and I just smiled. I rested my head on his chest and smiled to myself before going back to watching Mean Girls. I might've gotten shot in the chest today, but at least I was forgiven...


	16. Venomous

I woke up with my head resting on Hayden's chest. He was absentmindedly playing with my hair, but he stopped when he realized I was awake. I looked over at the alarm clock next to his bed and saw that it was only six-thirty.

Groaning, I put my head back on Hayden's chest and sighed. Today is meant to be my first day of high school, which is odd to say because I'm forever seventeen. Of course, what vampire would waste their time making friends in a high school unless they're staying in town long enough for people to notice that something's up.

That movie Seventeen Again is such crap, though. Being seventeen all the time is terrible and I haven't learned any valuable lessons from it. It's not even helped me get my life on track. All I want to do is eat, party, and sleep, with the occasional horny mood. It's not fun.

Hayden chuckled and the movement vibrated through his body. He had a shirt on, which was probably best because I'm in one of those moods where I would make out with him and kiss his bare chest. The cons of being seventeen for the rest of your life.

Knowing that if I didn't get up now, I would never get up, I realized that I had a slight problem. Hayden wasn't getting up any time soon and the bed was pushed against the wall. At the foot of the bed, there was a barrier and I was too tired to climb that, so I had to go over Hayden.

There was two ways I could do this: crawl to the end of the bed or just go over the top of him. He would probably grab me if I went over the top, but it was faster. Then there was crawling, which just makes for an awkward situation and a stupid remark.

Sighing, I pushed myself up and went to climb over Hayden, but he pulled me back down. I had been expecting this, but I did it anyway. I had wanted to do it and we both knew it. We both knew exactly what I was going to do.

"Mind letting go of me?" I asked, trying to seem annoyed. "I have to get ready for school. We both do."

I pulled myself out of Hayden's arms, then rolled off the bed and onto the floor. He laughed when I fell on my ass, but I ignored him and left his room, heading towards my own.

I locked my door behind me, then went over to my wardrobe. Honestly, I wished I had my own bathroom right now, but I don't. There's no way I'm going back to Klaus' until either he apologizes and means it or I really need something.

According to the internet, the high school's in America have a really strict dress code and they're harsh on the girls. They should just do what most of the Australian schools do and give them uniforms. That way there's at least _some_ equality amongst the students. They're all the same and on an equal playing field in uniforms.

Hayden began to knock on my door and try to open it. Knowing he would be persistant and wouldn't stop until I opened the door, I gave in. As soon as the door was open, he walked into my room and sat on my bed.

"Wear something badass," he suggested. "If you're going to hang out with my friends and I, you've got a reputation to uphold. We're players and we get what we want, when we want it. We run that school and you need to look the part. Also, I'm driving the Maserati."

"You are not touching my car," I told him, annoyed with his statement. "Only I can drive my car and that's so no one can steal it and then crash it, like what happened to my last one. Go get dressed and leave me to change."

Instead of leaving, Hayden walked up and wrapped his arms around me. My back was pressed against him, and although I sort of enjoyed it, I really just wanted to get dressed. I sighed and just waited for him to let go, but then he started to kiss my neck.

"We're expected to me really close and touchy-feely, but you can't come to me and demand something," Hayden said, quietly. "It's not ideal, I know, but I have to keep up appearances. You're meant to be my girlfriend and we don't really know each other because I have to act like someone I'm not. Tonight, we can play a game so we get to know each other better. Okay?"

"I really just want to get dressed."

Hayden laughed, then pulled away, left my room and shut the door behind himself. I then walked back into my wardrobe and looked at myself in the mirror. Looking badass, but hot at the same time is what I excel at.

I put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a red shirt that was sort of low cut, but not too bad, and my black combat boots. If I could wear heels to school, then I would, but I can't and everyone's going to see how short I am.

After that, I straightened my hair and kept a hair-tie on my wrist, just in case I have to tie it up. Then I grabbed my black leather jacket and my car keys and walked out of my room. Hayden was waiting for me when I entered the kitchen.

He saw that I had my keys and his grin fell from his face. I guessed that he and his friends only got a ride to and from school if it was from each other, just to keep up appearances. Hayden jumped off of the kitchen bench and grabbed his car keys too.

It was now ten minutes past seven, and school started at nine. That gives me just under two hours to get a coffee and sort out what I'm going to say if no one heard the mayor tell them that I ducked just in time. I suppose they would be more focused on Tyler, who ended up getting shot when he went back outside, after getting me a blood bag.

"Take your own car if you want to drive," I told him. "I'm going to get a coffee and maybe add some form of alcohol. Who knows?"

Hayden muttered a farewell before storming out. I followed a minute after and got in my car, which was unlocked. I started the engine, then sped off while putting my seatbelt on.

When I got to the Grill, I slowed down a little, and then parked. This time I ensured my car was locked and went inside. Everyone gave me reassuring smiles because I was shot at yesterday. So far no one had asked any questions.

I ordered my coffee, got it, and then sat at a booth in the back. Damon walked over before I could even take a sip of my drink. He had one of those looks on his face that meant something had happened. I had seen more of those in my short time here than in the rest of the time I spent around this man.

"Thalia, just the supposedly fearsome person I was looking for," Damon greeted, sitting across from me. "Last night, Carol Lockwood forced Tyler to stay in the hospital and everyone's favourite new vampire hunter took some of his venom. What's even better is the fact that we don't know where this guy is or what he's planning to do, so I've got Little Gilbert on it."

"Can't we just have a nice, peaceful weak?" I asked, annoyed. "Not even running the supernatural side of Chicago is this stressful. Mikael was on my ass then and now he's not, so I don't see why it's even possible, but it is. If we're going to kill him, I want in. He shot me, despite what everyone thinks."

"Welcome to Mystic Falls," Damon muttered. "Are you starting school today? If so, control Rebekah so she doesn't annoy the crap out of Elena."

"No promises. It's only day one and I've already met most of the supposed in-crowd. All I have going for me right now is the fact that I'm immortal because now I'm stressed."

I finished my coffee in record time, then got up and left Damon where he was.

Deciding that I didn't want to awkwardly walk around school because I was early, I drove around town for a while. It helped calm me down, which was good. This whole situation with another vampire hunter was really stressing me out.

As I drove into school, everyone turned to stare at my car. They tried to look at me, but my windows are too darkly tinted to be able to see anything other than my shape. I parked, took off my sunglasses, and then got out of my car. I locked it, then checked, and slid the keys into my jacket pocket.

Ignoring everyone, I entered the school and went straight to the office. There was exactly two minutes before school would begin and to say that I was angry about being here would be an understatement. It is dull and boring and when everyone passes through the halls, it will be crammed.

The receptionist was in her late forties and didn't try to look any younger, which was thankful. One time I met a receptionist who had so much botox she looked like the Cheshire Cat. She would've been pretty if her face wasn't forced into a fake smiled all the time.

"Are you wanting something?" The receptionist asked, politely.

"Yeah, I'm Thalia Ashwood," I stated, compelling her immediately. "You're going to sign me in right now. I have no medical issues and my legal guardian is Klaus Mikaelson. I'm going to be in all of the same classes as Rebekah Mikaelson and Elena Gilbert."

"Of course," she agreed, the compulsion working. "One last thing: where did you last go?"

"I just moved from England. Now, remember, put it in the system as soon as possible."

She handed me a sheet with a map on it. My locker combination was also written on it, so I went to sort that out. Before I could actually reach my locker, the bell went. I swore loudly, but kept heading towards where Alaric and I had fought in the halls, as my locker was there.

When I got to my locker, there was still a lot of people in the halls. No one around me knew me, so I just threw my stuff in my locker, then got the stuff I needed, which was a book and a pen. Then I slipped my phone into my pocket.

Thankfully, my first class wasn't too far away. In fact, it was in the very same room that Alaric had held Caroline prisoner. Good times. I got to kick some ass, Klaus was supposedly dead, and then he chose to rescue Caroline and not Rebekah or I. _Great times_.

As I walked into class, I found Caroline was already here. She looked sad about being back in Alaric's old classroom since he died, so I sat down next to her. Caroline was really kind, and smiled at me, then introduced me to a few people.

Elena and Stefan walked in, then sat in front of Caroline and I. It was clear that Elena was upset, which filled me with joy. She could be really nice, but I wouldn't care. I just have an immense hatred for all of the Petrova doppelgängers, seeing how two out of three have screwed me over and with Elena it's just a matter of time.

After surviving most of the day, I only had to get through lunch because I was going to Rebekah's party, which gave me a great reason to skip school. I had accidentally won dodge-ball in gym, which seemed to gain me a lot of respect and fear. I loved it and hated it.

During the first lunch, I had spoken with Matt, who was worried about Tyler. We had discussed the fact that the new hunter is after the vampires, and the fact that I could protect everyone. I explained that this guy is a professional and very hard to kill, but Matt didn't care. He's loyal to his friends and will always try to save them.

Now I was sitting with Hayden and we were waiting for his friends. I was straddling him when all of his friends joined us. Immediately, I swung my leg back over and sat down normally. Jordan, Kyle, Sam and Daniel all hi-fived Hayden as Carter joined us.

"So, we saw you with Matt Donovan before," Sam stated, sitting on the other side of me. "You two were closer than you are with Hayden."

"He's just a friend," I insisted.

"I'll take your word for that," Sam decided. "Tell me, have you two had sex yet?"

"No," Hayden said. "Why do you care? Are you wondering if you can get there before I can?"

Sam and Hayden had a stare down before they both began to laugh. Hayden pulled me so I was right next to him. He was running his hand up my thigh and knew exactly how I would feel about it.

"We all know that Hayden's not a virgin, but are you?" Daniel asked, a smug smile on his face.

"Why do you care?" I replied, calmly.

"He wants a piece of your ass," Kyle explained. "Who wouldn't?"

"Those of us who actually have some respect for ourselves and everyone else we meet in life," Jordan muttered, just quiet enough that no one should've been able to hear.

I smirked, but chose not to answer the question. What I do in the dark, in my personal time, has nothing to do with them. Jordan was visibly uncomfortable because of this conversation, which made me feel a bit better. At least he wouldn't question me.

"Answer the question," Hayden reminded me, thinking I'd forgotten.

"I don't see why it matters," I said, hiding my annoyance. "There's no way I can answer this and not have everyone judge me. If I'm a virgin, everyone will think I'm pathetic, but if I'm not, they'll all think I'm a slut. I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not oblivious to what you all say."

Everyone stared at me, including Jordan. All of the guys looked as if they'd been told, but Jordan gave me a warm smile. I nodded at him, them turned to face Hayden. He was shocked that I had just spoken my mind like that.

I just sat there as they went back to a normal conversation. After a while, I realized that what I had just said went straight over their heads. It wasn't truly wasted, as they would remember it one day, but for now it was.

Hayden pulled me between his legs and placed his hands on the inside of my thighs. He slowly began to run his hands up and down. Then he began to kiss my neck, which made me uncomfortable. This is the most fake relationship. Goddamn.

"Excuse me for a moment," I said, standing up and moving off of Hayden. Then I bent down to whisper in Hayden's ear. "If I'm just another hot girl to sleep with then give up. You're lovely and polite at home, but I don't know the real you. If this is him, then I'm done. We can talk when I get home."

I stood up and walked off. None of his friends had heard me, but I wouldn't be worried if they had. Part of me said to look back, but I refused to. If he was upset, he was upset. I'm immortal and I have better things to think about.

Someone was running towards me, but I didn't care. If they wanted to talk, they wanted to talk. If not, just keep running past me. See if I care. Why should I?

"Thalia, wait!" Carter called.

I stopped and turned to face the guy that was once Hayden's best friend, until he was compelled by my siblings. When I find out which one it is, I'm going to force them to undo it. I'll compel them if I have to. I don't care.

"What do you want?" I asked, annoyed.

"I want to know what you said to Hayden," he stated. "He's good at acting and he just declared that all of us are going to Rebekah's party to get drunk. That's his way of covering up whatever you just said and how it made him feel. I know I shouldn't care because we're not even friends, but I do."

There was the loophole through Carter's compulsion. He was compelled to think he and Hayden were no longer friends because of something that didn't even happen. However, deep down inside he knew they were still friends and that sort of friendship can't truly be compelled away.

"Surely you understand that we don't know who the real Hayden is," I said, leading him away from a group of people who might eavesdrop. "He's a completely different person at school then when he's at home. I just don't know who's the real him, so I told him that he just wants sex then we're done."

"I've known him for my whole life, and I understand, but this isn't something he'll risk his reputation over. He'll break up with you if that makes him look good. He's a good guy, but he wants the world. That can blind him from the truth. I should go back now."

I nodded and then we walked in opposite directions. Carter was going back to sit with his friends and I was going to Rebekah's ditching party after my final class.

Matt had texted me and asked me to take him home before I went to the party. I had agreed, so now I was sitting in my car, waiting for him. My final class had been almost empty, which was good because I don't think I would've lasted much longer in a class full of people.

Thankfully, Matt showed up. He got in the car and put his seatbelt on, so I drove off. Seeing how he had just been in a car accident, I decided not to speed. He hates Rebekah for it and I would be angry too, but I can understand. We were going to die if she didn't and we thought Klaus was dead already.

Over the past thousand years, we've learned that if Klaus goes down, we all go down with him. Apart from me. I'm trained to survive, so surviving is what I do. You can't take Kol anywhere because he likes to make a mess, Rebekah whines and ends up falling in love, Elijah's too moral to do what he needs to, and Finn wasn't out of the coffin much.

"How are you and Hayden?" Matt asked. "Everyone at school knows you're dating now, but apparently you were pretty icy towards him."

"When I know which Hayden he is, then I'll tell you," I said, cryptically. "He's kind and caring and lovely at home, but as soon as we get near his friends, he's a different person. I don't know who's the real one, and I don't need another failed relationship."

"You're talking about Klaus," Matt guessed.

"Not just him. There's Rebekah, who I haven't spoken to despite the fact that we're in the same class, and then there's Elijah, who's usually there for me. Sometimes I think the only truly loyal Mikaelson is Kol. Sure, he's crazy and will do whatever it takes to get ahead, but he wouldn't betray me. We're the two outsiders in the close little circle formed by Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah."

The rest of the drive was silent, apart from Matt giving me instructions to his house. When I drove down his street, we both began to think about things. If I wanted to convince him what Rebekah had done was wrong, but that she shouldn't be judged for it, now is the time.

"Matt, I know you hate Rebekah for what she did, but there's no point," I told him, honestly. "She ran you off a bridge, but Klaus was all she had. For a really, really long time, Klaus and Rebekah travelled with each other. Sure, he killed the men she fell in love with, but they only had each other. All I ask is that you aren't so harsh towards her because I know she apologized."

"Thanks for the lift. If Hayden's not there for the relationship and you want to leave, you're welcome to stay with me."

Before I could reply, Matt got out of the car and shut the door. I sighed, then sped off, towards the party. I'm going to get piss-drunk and then do something I'll regret the next morning, but that doesn't matter. I just know I'm going to enjoy myself.

Why was everyone's house on opposite sides of town? Klaus' house was in one corner of town and I was on the same side, but in the other corner. Then there's Rebekah's house, which is as far away from Klaus' house she could get, then Damon's is on the same side in the other corner. Seriously, we need to get it together.

Thankfully, most people had gotten a ride here, so I parked my car in the driveway and then joined the party. The first thing I did was get a drink. Well, I had to wait for Stefan to get one first because he had ignored me all day and I wasn't going to let him talk to me now.

When I had my beer, I brought it to my lips and considered spitting it out. Beer is such a terrible drink and it's weak. It's going to take me all night to get drunk off of this crap. Hopefully Rebekah will offer me something a bit stronger, if she decides to talk to me.

Then there's Hayden, who will either ignore me or be all over me. You never know with him. He's really confusing and my feelings for him are confusing. Ugh. Why can't he just be himself because he's hot enough to survive.

As if summoned by my thoughts, Hayden came into view. He was with his friends and a few girls, most of whom were flirting with all of them. It was clear that Hayden was flirting back. That just encouraged me to go over there.

"Thalia, there you are," Hayden said, wrapping an arm around my waist. "I've been waiting for you to show up."

Hayden kissed me roughly and pulled my closer to him by grabbing my ass. I pulled back and moved his hands up a little before smiling at him. He'd only had a few beers and wasn't drunk yet, judging from the alcohol on his breath.

"Always so frigid," Hayden whispered in my ear. "Ease up and help me keep up appearances."

"I don't give a damn about your appearances," I whispered back, with a fake flirty smile on my face. "I have to go see Rebekah, but I'll be back."

"Why would you want to talk to her?" Kaylee asked, rudely. "Sure, she throws great parties and she's a cheerleader, but just being seen with Hayden makes you more popular than she is. You're clearly knew to this, so I suggest you stay with us.

"She's my sister and I've known her most my life," I told her, turning so she could see that I wasn't going to let her be rude. "So, maybe I want to go and talk to her because I haven't seen her in ages and I missed her. What I do and who I talk to is my business, not anyone else's."

Hayden let me go and walk off, knowing I was angry and wouldn't be stopped now. I got myself a drink before going to find Rebekah. Hopefully Hayden would explain that Rebekah's my adopted sister, but I don't think he will.

Rebekah walked out of the house and went to get a drink. I sighed and changed the direction I was walking in, just so I could catch up with her. Just before she could walk off again, I moved in front of her, to stop her.

"Thalia, I'm glad you came," Rebekah said. "So, I heard you're with Hayden Silvetti. I suggest you're as careful as you can be. Kiss him sometimes, but don't let him do what you don't want him to."

"Are you giving yourself advice, Bekah?" I asked, jokingly. "I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing. Anyway, how have you been?"

"Better now that Klaus isn't annoying me," she told me. "Have you spoken to him since he left us?"

"I screamed at him, but we've not spoken since. I know I can't ignore him forever, but I can avoid him for a while. Well, I should really be getting back to Hayden because I can feel all of his friends watching us. This is a good party."

Before either of us could say any more, I walked off. I got myself another drink, then went back to where Hayden and all of his friends were. Kaylee was getting awfully close, but I wasn't worried because as soon as I was in reach, Hayden pulled me to his side.

I kissed him quickly, then smirked. He smiled back and began to kiss my neck. He'd had more to drink, but not by much. I tilted my head to the side so he could continue to kiss my neck and it was easier. For some reason, I giggled then kissed him.

Before it could get hands-on, my phone rang. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes was blaring, so I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I switched my phone to silent and saw that it was Damon calling me. I knew I should take this.

"Excuse me," I said, then answered my phone.

" _Are you at Rebekah's party and are you drunk?_ " Damon asked, struggling to here me.

"I'm at the party, but all there is to drink is beer, so I'm sober as hell," I told him. My tone became sarcastic as I continued on, "But thanks for checking in on me. You know how much it means to me."

" _Good. How do you feel about meeting me at the hospital to kill a certain vampire hunter and getting rid of the curfew in return for our good deed?_ "

"I'm in. Anything I can do to be allowed out past nine by myself. Honestly, sometimes I just want to go for a food run at midnight, but I can't because I'm underage. Anyway, I'll meet you there. You better have a good plan or we're screwed."

I hung up and then slid my phone back into my pocket. I downed my drink in one go before putting the cup down and facing Hayden and all of his friends. They had all heard my conversation, which wasn't the best thing.

"What are you planning to do?" Hayden asked, quietly.

"Just tell them that I'm going to a club or something," I said, biting my lip. "I really have to go, though."

I kissed Hayden, then pulled away and walked off. Time to kick the ass of the guy that shot me. This was going to be fun.

After half an hour of driving because there was traffic on the _one_ road that goes through town, I finally got to the hospital. What if I were dying, but we didn't need an ambulance then? I'd definitely be dead by the time I got to the hospital.

Damon was talking to someone when I arrived, but I couldn't see who. I got out of my car, locked it, then walked over. Thankfully, I brought my jacket with me because Damon was wearing his and I didn't want to be the one that looked like they meant business. Now I can share the responsibility.

When I reached Damon's side, I froze in my place. He was talking to Klaus, which meant I had to work with Klaus and if this weren't a revenge thing, I would leave. I wasn't in the mood to face him. I just want to kill the vampire hunter and be done with it.

I glared at Damon, who had a guilty look on his face. I could feel Klaus' eyes on me, but I couldn't even bring myself to look at him. In fact, everything was blurry for some reason, so even if I did look at him, I wouldn't see much.

The blurriness went away as veins started to creep up my arms. Klaus and Damon were both confused at first, but I immediately realized that the hunter must've found a way to spike the keg. Soon I would be hallucinating, and that's not a good thing.

"He had werewolf venom," Damon explained to Klaus. "So, give Thalia some of your blood and let me explain the plan."

"She can ask herself," Klaus decided, being a dick. "Come on, Thalia. You have to actually look at me to ask."

"Don't be a dick," Damon said, annoyed. "If I were Thalia, I'd be kicking your immortal ass right now. It's a good thing that you pissed her off, not me. Your fight wasn't petty, but this is."

There was silence as both Klaus and Damon watched me. By all rights, I should just take the blood, but I knew it wouldn't be the same. That, and Klaus wouldn't let me close because he knows I'll do it. All I can do is ask or I have to sit this out.

"Klaus, I need your blood," I told him, refusing to look up.

"Sorry, what was that?" He asked, clearly amused. "I can't even see your face. Do you really need to ask whatever you're asking. Oh, and you better be polite."

"You're an ass," Damon told Klaus.

"Klaus, could I please have some of your blood?" I requested. "I want to kick this vampire hunter's ass, and I'd rather not have to sit it out because of hallucinations."

"Have at it," Klaus agreed, biting into his lip and drawing blood.

"I'm not kissing you," I stated, stubbornly. "I have a boyfriend."

"There's a vampire hunter on the loose. You can't just bite my wrist."

"No, but I can bite your neck, so let me."

I knew why Klaus was hesitant to let me bite his neck. Bloodsharing when you aren't healing another vampire is a personal thing. It's sort of like the concept of sex, where it's personal and between two people. When we were together, we used to blood-share and I'd bite his neck.

Thankfully, Klaus didn't stop me when I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face into the crook of his neck. To anyone who didn't know what was going on, it would look like we were hugging. In all reality, I was about to bite into his neck.

As I bit into his Klaus' neck and began to take his blood, I had to control myself. Klaus had relaxed and even let out a little moan, but I was in control. I pulled back, licked my lips, and then pulled out of the embrace entirely.

I wanted to keep going and I wanted to press my lips to Klaus', but I knew that was only because there were once feelings behind that action. Even if I did have feelings for Klaus still, they don't matter. I'm with Hayden.

Damon waved his hands in front of the faces of Klaus and I, just to get our attention. "So, here's the plan..."


	17. Stings, Doesn't It?

Damon's plan was simple enough. We go and set up a trip wire which will shoot an arrow into Connor, then another arrow will fire a few seconds after. Both would be connected to bombs, so if he moved too fast or pulled them out, he would be blown up.

Our ultimate goal was to have him blown up and maybe the hospital isn't the best place, but it's a good trap and we can't change it now. Damon had the bombs with him, so he put them into his jacket and we all walked into the hospital.

Klaus was refusing to speak after I took some of his blood, and I think he was embarrassed. He knows he moaned and he knows we know it. Surely it's not that bad, but of course it's the end of the world to Klaus 'Drama Queen' Mikaelson.

We entered the room that Meredith would lead Connor to and Damon began to set up his trap. If this wasn't done right, then Damon's screwed and I'm probably going to get shot again. He might even take me as a hostage, which is never a fun experience.

None of us knew how long we'd be here for, but hopefully it's not too long. Hopefully he won't figure it out either. If he does, then we're all going to get shot, then Damon will die, and I'll be the hostage just because I'm the pretty one and people assume I have friends who will rescue me.

Unfortunately, Klaus was now sitting like he usually does. That means that he's back to normal and he's going to be an asshole pretty soon. There's no escaping it, but I had hoped that he wouldn't come to his senses until the hunter arrived.

"We all know your warlock has nothing on me," Klaus told me, trying to get under my skin. "You're not angry with me anymore and it's all because of my blood. Can your boyfriend do that to you? Can he make you feel euphoric just from drinking your blood. Oh wait, you wouldn't give him any because he'd hate you for it."

"Klaus, you're just insecure because you felt something before and I didn't," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "Honestly, your attempts are pathetic. You miss having me around and making me feel something for you, but I don't miss that at all. I have a boyfriend, who I like very much, and I'm happy."

"You don't love him," Damon pointed out, still working on his trap. "Sorry, but I'm with Klaus on this one. You're not really happy with Hayden. He's attractive and popular, but he's got no sense of adventure and he's not dangerous. If we're going off your record, you like danger and adventure, not safety and a life of sitting inside and being rich."

Of course Damon was on Klaus' side and although he was right about what I want, I am happy. They knew what they were doing and I swear Klaus had payed Damon to say all of this. I shouldn't doubt this. I should be able to say that I'm happy with the life he could give me, and not just with the fact that there's attention on me.

"I also like attractive guys," I said, trying to cover my doubt. "There's more to him then you see."

"What?" Damon asked. "Switching personalities? A rich family that he doesn't like? Just admit you like the attention and let the poor guy go before you break his heart. Take it from me; being strung along is never fun."

I ran my hands through my hair and let my back hit the floor. Klaus looked over at me as I gave him the finger. He just rolled his eyes and sat down next to me. I don't know what he wants, but he isn't getting it.

"The darkest parts of you are where you feel at home," Klaus told me, as if I didn't know it. "How many times have you shown them to him and not worked to make it okay again? Maybe you do like him a lot, but it doesn't matter if you're not happy. You used to focus on what's best for you, so what's changed?"

"Can we please stop questioning my life?" I requested. "We've got bigger issues, like the fact that your doctor is walking down the hall."

"Thalia, hide the trip wires with your shadows," Damon insisted, pulling us all behind a shelf.

As the door opened, I cast shadows across the floor. It was shut again as Meredith Fell walked into the second room, in order to get out of here. The door opened and closed again as Connor Jordan walked right into the trip wire.

Damon moved so he could be seen, which was so stupid. From where I was, I could see that Connor had a gun on him, as well as extra bullets. That's not good, seeing how they're definitely wood and are laced with vervain.

"Is a hospital really the best place for a germaphobe?" Connor asked Damon.

"Did I say germaphobe?" Damon asked, moving between racks of medical supplies. "Sorry, I meant vampire."

Connor pulled out a gun as I realized the trap wasn't going to work. I shot Connor in the arm with the arrow, causing him to drop his gun. He bent down to pick it up, but this time he tripped the wire and was shot again, but in the side of the chest this time. He saw that both arrows were attached to bombs.

"Stings, doesn't it?" I questioned, standing in front of him.

Connor went to pick up the gun again, but Klaus kicked it to the side. When Connor looked up, he was confused as to who Klaus was. We all smirked because of this. Three of the biggest bad's known to all vampires were in the same room, so of course we were smirking.

"Hello mate," Klaus greeted.

Being an absolute idiot, Connor decided to spit at Klaus, who just moved to the side. He glared at all three of us and I couldn't help but laugh. Klaus is right: I do feel at home in the darkest parts of myself. In fact, I'm enjoying myself right now.

Seeing he wouldn't get anywhere with taunting us into letting him go, he attempted to pull the arrow out of his side. We all watched him as he tried, but just couldn't manage to get it out and blow us all up.

"Keep it up, buddy," I suggested, sarcastically. "We'll be scraping you off the ceiling."

"You three are gonna kill me anyway," he pointed out.

"Well, let's not be too hasty," Klaus said. "I feel like we're just getting to know each other."

"Let's start with the basics," Damon decided. "Where are you from? What do you know? Maybe you can cue me in on this 'greater evil', because I've fought this guy," Damon pointed to Klaus, "and decided to cross this one, despite her reputation," Damon pointed at me, "and there's nothing more evil than that."

"Yeah, truth be told, we're as evil as it gets," I confirmed, as Damon handed Klaus a letter.

"I'm not telling you anything," Connor stated. "If you think if you kill me it's gonna be over, there's already another waiting to take my place."

"See, this is what I like to hear," Damon told us, sarcastically. "Vague threats, ominous prophecies, and disappearing tattoos."

"What do you mean tattoos?" Klaus asked, his smirk dropping.

So my theory was right. Connor must be apart of the Brotherhood of the Five. They all had tattoos that only they could see. When they'd killed enough vampires, it would make a map that led to somewhere, but we don't know where because Klaus killed them all.

"Don't bother, you can't see the damn thing," Damon muttered.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?" Klaus asked, kneeling in front of Connor.

Connor looked Klaus in the eyes, but then tried to stake him. If it had've been Damon, he might've just succeeded, but it wasn't. Klaus easily caught his arm.

"Nice try, but Thalia and I are faster than your normal vampires," Klaus informed him, twisting his arm so he dropped the stake he was holding. "You're one of the Five."

"The what?" Damon asked, confused.

I saw that Connor was about to pull the string, so I nudged Klaus and ran out of the room. Damon was just behind me. The bomb exploded and I was thrown to the ground, alongside Damon. I turned and saw a massive fireball, which quickly dispersed.

When I looked around, I expected to see Klaus. Then I realized he didn't leave with us. He was caught in that explosion and it wouldn't have killed him, but they're going to be confused if they find his body inside with little bits of skin left as he healed.

He probably went out the window, like what Damon and I should've done. He would be fine. It's not like I care. There's no reason for me to give a damn about Klaus. He was an ass towards me and he might have once been my best friend, but he isn't anymore.

I got to my feet and began to pace. Someone ran down here and saw Damon and I, then ran towards the room. I could hear the police being called, which was probably a good thing. When that person came back, they looked relieved.

Whoever they were, they went back to wherever they came from. Even though I knew Klaus was fine and that the hunter was dead, I couldn't shake the off feeling I got. Connor's in there and is at least a few badly burned body parts, if not a pile of ashes, but something was off. There was no scream or the usual acrid smell that comes after a body burns or blows up.

"You're thinking about Klaus, aren't you?" Damon guessed, a smirk on his face. "Relax. It's not like he can die and he probably jumped out of the window or something."

"Have you ever smelt burning flesh?" I asked him. "I'm worried because I can't smell it. What if Klaus saved him because he was one of the five? He probably wouldn't, but he might. Then there's the fact that you agreed with Klaus and not me."

"He's right and we both know it," Damon told me, grabbing my shoulders and turning me so I was facing him. "You like being evil and we just saw that. One of the biggest, baddest vampires shouldn't have to change her ways for some stupid, teenage warlock. People like us enjoy the darkness. That, and we all know you and Klaus were in love. I can still see it. Go home and ask yourself what you want to do. You don't have to stick around to get judged."

"Yeah, okay. Have a nice night, Damon. Oh, and for the record, Elena should've chosen you and she's an idiot for not doing it, but you can't give up. If you leave town, I'm gonna hunt you down and drag you all the way back."

Damon laughed, and then I walked off. He was right and so was Klaus, but that doesn't make much of a difference.

I'd only just arrived home, after going to the Mystic Grill for dinner. People gave me strange looks, but I couldn't care less. If I want to eat alone, then I will eat alone. If I want to eat with friends then that is what I'll do.

Over dinner, I had also found Hayden's sisters' number and called her. She was more than happy to put it on speaker as she and Callum told me how rude and cocky Hayden really was. They were both very surprised when he was acting nice around me and warned me that it would change. That had been a surprise.

I parked my car in front of the house, then took a few deeps breaths. I got out, locked it and then went over the conversation with Hayden's siblings. Even Lionel, who it turns out is his step-father, thinks he's rude and arrogant.

When I walked inside, I found Hayden, Daniel, Carter, Jordan, Sam and Kyle helping themselves to most of my alcohol, which consisted of scotch and bourbon. There was also a few beers and a bottle of wine, which I assumed was from Rebekah's party. Then there was the music that was way too loud.

I crept down the hallway to put my keys in my room. No one saw me, which was good, because I was contemplating kicking their asses and it wouldn't be a surprise if they had seen me. When I put my keys away, I waited until they saw that I was standing in the doorway that led to the living room.

Carter was the first to see me, so he nudged Hayden, who turned around. One by one, each of the boys turned to look at me. I was holding the remote to the stereo, so they all thought I'd used it to turn the music down, but I'd used my shadows for that.

"Helping ourselves to my bourbon, are we?" I asked, annoyed. "Hayden, surely you know better. You can have my scotch and I won't care, but when you drink my stash of bourbon, that's a step too far. It would be nice if you had've at least left me the one hundred dollar bottle of it, but you didn't. You drunk it."

"You're so pretty and nice for not getting angry about it," Daniel slurred, getting up and stumbling over to me. "If Hayden ever bores you, feel free to come to me. I can have fun, unlike him."

"I think you meant to whisper that, but you didn't," I informed him. "Hayden, can I speak to you? It would be best if it were away from your piss-drunk friends."

Hayden followed me into his room, where I shut the door behind us. It wasn't locked so he didn't get the wrong idea. I just wanted to talk, not kiss or do anything more. I'd really thought about this relationship over dinner, but I wanted to talk to him first.

It was clear that Hayden was sober, but acting drunk in front of his friends. He kissed me and walked us both back so we fell onto the bed. I pressed a finger to his lips and pushed him off me, before getting up and smoothing out my jeans.

"Hayden, I've tried to become someone I'm not for you," I told him, honestly. "You have too. You're cocky and rude with your friends, but an angel around me. I was talking to Damon and Klaus while we were sorting out a hunter, and they pointed out that I can't be happy with you. You're always changing moods and you're too safe and I like danger and a sense of adventure, not the inside life of a rich person who doesn't know how to enjoy themselves."

"That's because I have to keep up appearances," Hayden insisted.

"Yeah, that's why I spoke to Callum, Emma and Lionel," I revealed, calmly. "The appearance that you're keeping up is that you're actually this kind, caring person when you're not. The Hayden I see at school is the real you."

He looked away, clearly angry. I stood my ground, knowing he was going to say or do something stupid and that would be a good enough reason to leave. Surprisingly, Hayden just left his room. I followed him out and went to my own room.

After locking the door and super-speeding around, all of my bags were packed and I was ready to go, after about ten minutes. Klaus wouldn't turn me away and I was relying on that. If he did, I would have to take up Matt's offer and I really didn't want to.

Quietly and quickly, I left the house with my backpack, suitcase, and duffel bag. Surprisingly, no one noticed and if they did, they didn't stop me. I got into my car, sped off, and headed towards Klaus' house, which was a really far way away.

After speeding through town, I reached Klaus' mansion. It didn't take as long as it normally would, as there was no one else driving on the roads. I carried my stuff up the steps and over to the door, but I hesitated before knocking.

Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for either Klaus or one of his hybrids, then I knocked. After about two minutes, the door swung open and Klaus himself was standing there, flanked by two of his hybrids. Seeing that he was safe and well, I hugged him.

"You were right," I muttered, into his shoulder. "Don't make me say it again because I almost threw up saying that."

"My hybrids will put your bags back into your room while you and I have a drink," Klaus stated.

I nodded and handed my stuff to the two hybrids, thanking them when they took it. They looked a little surprised by the fact that I'd thanked them, but I ignored it and followed Klaus into his parlour. The only change since I was last here was the fact that there is no longer blood on the walls.

Klaus poured us both a drink as I sat down on the red loveseat. I was handed my drink before Klaus sat next to me. We drunk our scotch in silence, just thinking about whatever we wanted to. I wasn't really thinking. It was more like I was staring at the ground and zoning out.

After finishing my scotch, I put it down on the coffee table and rested my head on Klaus' chest. I didn't mean to fall asleep, but I felt my eyelids droop, so I closed them and dozed off...


	18. Memories Shared Over Dinner

When I woke up, my head was still on Klaus's chest and his arms were wrapped around me. He woke up as soon as I did, probably sensing my slight movement. I saw a few of the hybrids looking at us, but I pretended that I didn't.

Klaus let me stand up and followed me. He cracked his neck and then his back. I smiled at him before running my hands through my hair and walking upstairs, towards my room. Thankfully, I knew where I was going and didn't get lost.

When I walked in, I found that not much had been touched. My bags were at the foot of my bed, so I got a pair of black jeans, my dark grey t-shirt and whatever else I needed, then went to shower in my own en-suite.

The water burned my skin, but I quickly got used to it as I washed my hair and body. Then I stood there and thought about random stuff for another fifteen minutes. When I got out, the cold air hit me and regret coursed through me because I should never have left the shower.

I got dressed as quickly as possible, then used my blow-dryer to sort out my hair. As soon as it was dry, I ran a brush through it until all of the knots were out, which took a good five minutes. Then I decided to straighten it.

After that, I put on my rings and necklace, then left my room altogether. I was either going to make some pancakes or I'd have to go and get some from the Grill. Honestly, I didn't want to go there because we all know that hungover teenagers will be there and I might see Hayden.

Going through the fridge and pantry, I found that Klaus has absolutely nothing. He has a hell of a lot of blood bags, presumably to share with the hybrids because he really doesn't need that many, and then milk and coffee beans, as well as sugar.

I groaned and sat on the floor. One of the hybrids passed and gave me an odd look, but I glared at them and they began to walk a lot faster. Looks like Klaus told them not to mess with me or they'd end up as a pile of limbs.

"Are you having your midlife crisis?" Klaus asked, jokingly.

"I don't know where the hell you just came from, but I'm hungry and we're going to have breakfast at the Grill," I told him, getting to my feet.

"I'm not going," Klaus said, laughing a little.

A smirk found it's way onto my face as I stepped towards Klaus. He looked at me, clearly trying to see if I was going to flirt with him or drag him with me. It wasn't going to be either of those because I have some pretty decent leverage.

"Damon texted me this morning, telling me that Connor's still out there," I informed him. "He couldn't have gotten out of there without your help. So, I did a little searching and found the hunter. If you don't come with me, I'll call the Salvatore brothers and let them take him."

"Very well," Klaus agreed, laughing after. "This is the Thalia I remember and like."

I smiled sweetly, then grabbed Klaus' arm and pulled him after me. He sighed as we left the house and I pulled him over to his car. Before he could tell me he didn't have his keys, I handed them to him and got in the passenger seat.

Klaus got in the car and started the car, waiting for it to warm up a little. Then he sped off without putting his seat belt on and when I say speed, I mean he pushed his soccer-mum looking car to the limit. I just laughed as he focused on driving, looking so intense for absolutely no reason.

After about ten minutes, we reached the Mystic Grill and got out of the car, which was parked next to the sidewalk. We walked into the Grill together and Klaus went up to one of the booths while I went over to the bar to order pancakes. When I was done, I re-joined Klaus and put the numbered sign on the table.

There was a smile on Klaus' face as he looked at me. His blue eyes shone and his dark blonde hair was freshly cut. I hadn't been able to sit with Klaus and be happy for the past one hundred or so years. We parted ways in New Orleans, and for a long while, I just couldn't care less because of what went down there.

"The warlock is here," Klaus muttered, so only I could hear. "Do you want me to kick his ass?"

"Niklaus, I do not want you to even try because this is my problem and I won't hesitate to kick _your_ ass," I warned him, using his full name so he really listened. "They're coming over, so you're going to be on your best behaviour. I have a feeling that Hayden isn't the only warlock amongst them today."

Hayden, Carter, Jordan, Kyle, Sam, Daniel, and one of their friends walked over to where Klaus and I were sitting. When I saw their friend, I realized that I had met him at the ball Esther had thrown, before she betrayed us entirely. His name was Will or something like that.

Will had intense blue eyes that were so dark they looked like a purple colour, black hair that was stylishly messy and fell to just above collar-length, and pale skin. Everything about him screamed that he was dangerous and loved adventure, which according to everyone else, is exactly what I want.

I smiled at the boys, who all parted so Matt could give me my pancakes. He smiled at me, then turned and glared at Hayden, before walking off. Klaus decided to be polite, so he moved to the centre of the booth. I also moved, so I was next to him.

On the other side of Klaus sat Jordan, then Carter, then Daniel, and then Sam. Will seemed to know something that the others didn't, and decided to annoy Hayden by being the one to sit next to me. Next to Will, Hayden sat with his arms crossed and an angry look on his face, and then there was Kyle.

"Hayden, what are you doing here?" I asked, innocently.

"What's Klaus doing here?" He replied. "Aren't we together? I mean, you never officially broke up with me."

"I think a girl telling you that you can't give them the life they want and then moving out of your house means it's over," Will told Hayden, before I could. He then turned to me. "You're Thalia, right? We met at the ball that your family threw."

"Yeah, you're Will," I said, smiling at him. "Seeing how you all know what happened between Hayden and I, and that he was a dick, I think you should leave so I can enjoy my breakfast. Bye."

All of them left, apart from Will. He waved his friends away, then moved so Klaus and I had more space. I smiled at him, but then began to eat my pancakes because I was hungry. I could feel both Klaus and Will watching me, then looking up at each other.

When I finished my pancakes, I licked my lips. I was surprised that Klaus and Will had sat in silence for three minutes while I ate. In fact, it kind of made me uncomfortable. They could at least greet each other or something.

"You're a warlock, aren't you?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "That's why Hayden confided in you and not one of the others. What do you want?"

"Just to introduce myself to Klaus and let you know that I'm offering my service," he said. "Unlike Bonnie Bennett and Hayden, I actually like using dark magic. Here's my number, just in case you want to talk."

Will wrote his number on a napkin, then got up and left. Klaus and I exchanged looks, before he put the napkin in his pocket and we left.

Klaus had stopped to taunt Rebekah and get her help, but then we went home. He agreed to show me where he had chained up Connor, so now he was leading me through his mansion. There was a room where Rebekah had once chained up Damon, and that's where we found Connor.

A cruel grin found it's way to my face as I stepped forward. He was chained up, against a board, and I knew Klaus had gotten it from the Roman Inquisition. However, I had thought it was in his house back in Italy, but clearly not.

Nothing had to be explained to me about the set-up because I was the one who taught Klaus the ways of torture. Connor tried to lunge at me, but he couldn't, so I just laughed at him. Then I punched him in the face, to which Klaus sighed loudly.

"We have a visitor," I said, turning to face Stefan, who was hiding in the corner. "Nice to see you again, Stefan. Klaus, you might want to put some hybrids on guard."

"I was going to take him, but I figured you went through such trouble to truss him up in your red room of pain," Stefan told Klaus.

"It's from the Inquisition," Klaus stated, referring to the chains. "I thought it was a nice touch."

"What did you get out of him?" Stefan asked.

"Not enough. He doesn't know much about the Council fire and he's not saying anything about this greater evil we're all supposed to be shivering over. Maybe he just means Thalia would come to her senses and become herself again, but who knows?"

"What brings you snooping?" I questioned, knowing Klaus wouldn't care.

"Well, I can't say it in front of him," Stefan pointed out. "As I'm sure you've figured out, our friend here can't be compelled."

"You're full of mysteries, aren't you?" Klaus taunted.

"I told you, I don't know anything," Connor insisted.

"Thankfully, I know plenty," Klaus said, smirking. "Thalia, love, I do believe you have some unfinished business with this hunter, so I'm going to leave you to it. Just don't kill him. I'm sure you don't want those nasty side-effects again."

Klaus smiled at me, then he and Stefan left the room. The doors were shut behind me, so I turned back to Connor and smirked. He didn't seem to be very happy about being chained up, but he was even less pleased when Klaus left me in here.

He wasn't a vampire, so he wouldn't heal quickly, which really ruins the fun. However, when it comes to torture, there's a big difference between Klaus and I. Where Klaus liked physical torture, I can work with psychological and physical. I like to mix the two, so I get what I want, and it speeds up the process.

There were no torture tools in here, but that doesn't matter. From previous experience with the original members of the Brotherhood of the Five, anything inflicted on them that comes from dark magic doesn't work too well. In fact, I got a witch to try and curse them, but that ended up back-firing and the witch was cursed instead.

"I do so love revenge," I stated. "Maybe you don't know anything about your supernatural history, but I do, so I don't care about that. However, you know exactly what happened to the Council and we both know it. So, you can tell me all that you know, or I can torture you. Your choice."

"Burn in hell!" He spat.

"Oh, I plan to," I said. "I'm going to burn so bad that I'll burn the devil himself and take the Throne of Hell. It won't be much fun for you then, will it?"

Connor spat at me, but missed. Seeing how that was rude and I didn't appreciate it, he was struck by a whip of shadow. It slashed his chest, but only burned him for a second. He let out a cry of pain, but he wasn't physically hurt for more than two seconds.

"Demon!" He hissed.

There was a mirror in the corner of the room, I walked over to it. I was gathering the shadows around me, preparing to strike again, so when I looked in the mirror, my eyes were black. Well, the pupil was it's usual colour, but my irises were black.

Surprisingly, I actually looked pretty hot like this. Well, in a psychopathic way, but that doesn't mean it's not hot. There's crazy, murderous fictional characters and we all love them, don't we?

I grinned, then slapped him across the face with the shadows. He struggled against his restraints and I just laughed at him. This was pathetic. The Brotherhood of the Five were certainly weaker now. I had no doubt that the first five I met would find a way to break out.

"So, are you going to tell me what you know yet?" I asked, patiently. "I mean, I have all the time in the world because I'm immortal, but you're not."

"I can kill you," he insisted. "Vampires are so sure that humans can't kill them, but we can. All it takes is a stake to the heart. It even works on hybrids."

"Well, I was made along with the first ever vampires, and a wooden stake to the heart can't kill is," I said, smirking. "By all rights, that shot you fired at me in the church should've killed me. It nicked my heart, but I'm still here, aren't I? I've given you information on the Originals and I, so now you give me information in return."

Connor decided not to say anything, so I walked up to him and kicked him in the groin. He let out a little scream, then a yell and it soon became a groan. Deciding that he needed to hurt more, shadows slowly crept into his veins and burned him, but not badly.

Klaus and Stefan walked in as the shadows left Connor's body and slashed him across the chest. For three seconds, there were four red marks across his chest, but they faded. I turned to face Klaus and Stefan with a grin on my face.

"Your eyes are black," Klaus noted. "That's new. What did you do to the hunter?"

"He's clearly not dead on dying, so it's all good," I insisted. "I did kick him in the groin, though. He was getting on my nerves."

"Well, Stefan is going to convince Rebekah to come over so we can find out what we need to," Klaus said. "You and I can work on getting information out of him."

Stefan left, shutting the door behind himself. Klaus turned to me and grinned. I knew he only checked on Connor to reassure Stefan that I'd left him alive. We both know I can use whatever technique I know to get information out of the hunter without killing him, but Stefan doesn't.

I let the shadows drop and when I looked back at the mirror, my irises were purple again. Klaus stood there as I punched Connor a few times, earning grunts of pain each time. Then, when I'd split his lip, I walked back over to Klaus.

"You're enjoying yourself," Klaus stated. "Is it because I'm watching you? Or is it because you're twisted and evil?"

"You'll never know," I teased, placing my hands on his chest. "You're turned on. Is it because of Stefan? Or is it because seeing me beat someone is a turn on for you?"

"Maybe it's just you, but you'll never know," Klaus muttered, then pressed his lips against mine.

This kiss was hungry and rough. His hand rested on the small of my back as we kissed. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and tangled my hands in his hair, pushing him down a little so it was easier to kiss him.

Klaus then moved on to kissing down my neck. When he reached my collarbone, he bit down a little. We both knew Connor was watching us, but we didn't care. Klaus' lips were on mine again, then he picked me up and carried me out of the room, kicking the door open and closed.

I was set down in the parlour, on my feet and not a piece of furniture. Refusing to break the kiss, I pulled Klaus back with me until I was standing by the armchair. Then I spun us around and pushed him down, onto the seat, before straddling him.

My fangs brushed Klaus' neck, before they went back and I kissed his collarbones, up to his jawline, and then I kissed his lips. He pushed me against him, but then pulled out of the kiss. There was a small smile on his face as his fangs slipped out.

A pair of fangs punctured my neck as I tilted my head to the side, allowing Klaus to take blood properly. I moaned as a feeling of pure pleasure washed over me. When Klaus was done taking blood, he kissed my neck gently.

He didn't even need to tell me that I needed to take some of his blood or his werewolf venom would effect me quickly. I sunk my fangs into his neck and felt Klaus relax a lot more. His jaw dropped as I let my fangs go deeper into his neck.

After about a minute, my fangs retracted and I pulled back. Klaus had a lazy smile on his face and for a minute, we just sat there. I had to crawl off him because Connor was yelling something. This didn't ruin the mood too much, but we definitely wouldn't be continuing.

We went to see if Connor was yelling for an actual reason or just for attention. As both Klaus and I had thought, it was just for attention. He probably wanted to kill one of the hybrids, who had been ordered to stay away for now.

"You feeling alright, mate?" Klaus asked, annoyed. "Are the shackles too tight? Welcome home, sister."

Rebekah and Stefan entered the room and I took a step away from Klaus, who's breath I had previously been able to feel on the back of my neck. The feeling had sent shivers down my spine, but that's what happens when you're a vampire. Just having someone touch your hand is heightened to a level no human could even begin to imagine.

Stefan's eyes were fixed on me, trying to see if being so close to Klaus had been what I wanted. If I am to be honest with myself, I do not know what I want. Part of me wants to go on a killing spree, another part of me wants to torture Connor, and a third part of my craved Klaus, but it was simply lust and I knew it. Even after one thousand years, I struggle to control my emotions at times.

"Is this a trick?" Rebekah questioned, seeing Klaus and I in the same room. "How do you know he's one of the Five? Where's his bloody tattoo?"

"Oh, the tattoos aren't visible on this lot like they were on the last," Klaus explained. "Let's eat."

We followed Klaus into the dining room. A pretty girl had already set down the food, and poured three glasses of wine. I assumed that it was Klaus' request that she pour me a glass of bouron. I thanked her, and so did Klaus, so then she left.

All of us sat down and I immediately took a sip of bourbon. Rebekah glared at me, then muttered that I was an alcoholic. Of course, if I were a kind person, I would let it go, but I'm not. I'm a bitch and I may be an alcoholic, but with good reasons.

"Sorry, what was that?" I asked Rebekah, despite knowing exactly what she said.

"Nothing," she muttered.

"I could kiss the Council for burning up all the vervain in town," Klaus stated, changing the subject. "They made my life so much easier." Klaus looked at Rebekah, who was opposite from him and wasn't eating. "Rebekah, love, eat your veggies."

"I'm not eating until you apologize," Rebekah insisted.

"For which indiscretion? There have been so many."

"You broke my neck."

"You threw away Elena's blood so I can't make any more hybrids."

"Because you took me for granted!"

"That's what big brothers do, sweetheart!"

I was watching them bicker while eating little bits of the meal in front of me. It was like a verbal tennis match and it managed to amuse me. Deciding I didn't want steak, I forced myself to eat the broccoli by telling myself that I'm a giant and it's a tiny tree.

"Let me just name the million other people I'd rather be having dinner with right now," Stefan said, with a sigh.

"Alright, fine," Klaus muttered, giving in. "I'm sorry. I often forget how delicate you are. Forgive me?"

"I'll take it under consideration," Rebekah agreed.

"Okay, good," Stefan said, before anyone could continue. "Now, why don't you tell me about Rebekah's hunter?"

"Right, Alexander," Klaus mused. "Nice chap, foregoing the obvious issues."

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and I were in Italy while Finn and Kol were off in the east. Finn was only with Kol because he'd been making a mess and Finn was trying to clean it up. Word had spread about all of us, and it was nothing positive. Admittedly, it was the fault of Klaus, Kol, and I._

 _If part of me was trained to kill and an even smaller part enjoyed it, of course it would be heightened. I learned to feed without killing because I could enjoy myself, unlike Finn, who rarely fed. Of course, the feeling of drinking blood and being full does help._

 _Rebekah had fallen in love with a vampire hunter who was made stronger and faster by a witch. There were four others and as they were looking for creatures of the night, we felt quite safe. Why wouldn't we? We have rings to keep the sun from burning us and the ones they keep catching don't._

 _All of us were sitting around a table, with Alexander, the hunter Rebekah loved. We were in the middle of a feast and a maiden was pouring us some wine, which was the strongest drink that was found to be classy at the time. Alexander was in awe of the luxury._

 _"I am unaccustomed to such luxury," Alexander stated._

 _"Well, it's the least we could do to repay you for opening our eyes to the truth," Elijah covered, smoothly. "We're curious to hear more about your order. Your crusade."_

 _"We are but five men," Alexander explained. "Bound by fire in the last breath of a dying witch to a single cause; the destruction of all vampires."_

 _"And how do you hope to achieve this?" Klaus and I asked at the same time, both of us skeptical._

 _"We have the ultimate weapon which no vampire can survive," Alexander insisted._

 *****END OF FLASHBACK*****

"So, that's what this is about?" Stefan asked, confused. "A weapon?"

"Not just any weapon," Rebekah said.

"Rebekah, love, don't get ahead of the story," Klaus chided.

"How is a weapon the answer to all my prayers?" Stefan questioned, a little annoyed right now. Klaus, Rebekah and I all shared a look, but kept quiet, which annoyed Stefan. "Okay. Why don't we just skip the theatrics and get right to the point?"

"Not quite yet, because in order to find this weapon, we need to solve the puzzle," Klaus explained. "Which seems to have disappeared."

"What puzzle?" There was no answer. "The tattoo. What is it?"

"A map. Leading us to it's treasure."

"Fat lot of good a tattoo's gonna do if we can't see it," Rebekah pointed out.

"We can't, but someone else can," Klaus stated. He turned to the girl who was nearby. "Why don't you tell the hybrid to bring him in?" The girl walked out, so Klaus turned back to the rest of us. "You see, the hunter was so eager to get to the bottom of his mystery tattoos that he mentioned there was only one other person that can see them."

One of Klaus' hybrids walked back into the room with Jeremy in his grasp. Knowing what was going to come next, I sighed, got up from my seat, and grabbed the bottle of bourbon that was in the next room. I walked back in as Stefan got out of his chair and used his heightened speed to get to Jeremy.

As I sat down, Klaus stood in front of Stefan and Jeremy was behind him. I poured myself another glass, and offered the bottle to Rebekah, who just glared at me. I shrugged, finished my glass, then poured myself another one.

"I wouldn't," I warned Stefan, knowing he would attack Klaus.

"Lucky for us, young Jeremy here, is a bit of an artist," Klaus explained.

"I'm not helping you with anything," the angsty teenager denied.

Before Jeremy could figure out what was happening, the hybrid grabbed his hand, then took the ring that protected him from a supernatural death. The hybrid tossed it to Klaus, who caught it. He then held it up for Jeremy to see, like the asshole he is.

"Oh, I'm afraid you are," Klaus said, a cruel grin on his face. "Right, show Jeremy to the room and make sure he's doing what he was told."

The hybrid led an angry Jeremy out of the room. I finished my glass of bourbon, then poured myself a fourth. Stefan sat down and decided not to get back up, so Klaus sat down too. I had no doubt that we'd be chatting about the tattoos again.

"So, tell me more about this tattoo," Stefan insisted, proving my point.

"My sister's suitor was unwilling to tell us anything," Klaus continued. "Rebekah, however, was more than willing to investigate. Isn't that right?"

Rebekah looked ashamed of her actions. I don't know what happened to her exactly, but I do know that she and Alexander were in bed together because that is where Klaus and I found her. However, I do know that she got the information we needed.

What the Brotherhood hadn't realized was the fact that there were six Originals and that their daggers wouldn't work on Klaus and they didn't have one for me. Silver doesn't effect werewolves, so Klaus was fine. If the one they used on Klaus had've been bronze, then it would've worked.

"Rebekah's boyfriend threw a slumber party that night," I explained, taking a sip of my drink. "He and his brothers put Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, Kol, and Finn down in their sleep."

"How was I supposed to know?" Rebekah defended.

"Cheers, to my sister's uncanny ability to choose men," Klaus joken, raising his glass.

"I thought the daggers didn't work on you because of your werewolf side," Stefan said, confused. "And where was Thalia?"

"Oh, I was there and they don't work on Klaus," I told him, smirking.

Alexander and his friends were having us all over for the night. We didn't suspect anything at that time, which I will admit was our fault. How the hell could we think we were safe with them? I was on guard, of course, but no one was listening to me. They thought they were safe.

One thing had led to another, and one of the hunters stabbed Kol in the heart with a dagger as he was sleeping. Luckily for me, I was awake and looking in Kol's direction. They didn't have a dagger for me and I don't want to think about what they had've done.

Before the closest man could grab me, I shot to my feet and tore into his throat with my fangs. Klaus ran in and viciously killed the man that ran at him. I was too busy killing Dimitri, who I had begun to think of as a possible lover. We had even kissed in the garden that very day.

I had been betrayed and I knew it. He begged for his life and insisted he loved me and would cure me of my vampirism, but I didn't want to be cured and I still don't. I ripped out his lying tongue, then I broke a piece of wood off the table and staked him with it, as revenge for what happened to my fellow vampires that he had killed.

We then went to find Rebekah, who was with Alexander. Klaus tore out his tongue and impaled him with his own sword, against the wall, so he would slowly die. Klaus took the dagger out of Rebekah, as he had done for the others, apart from Finn, so then we waited.

 *****FLASHBACK*****

 _Rebekah gasped and finally woke up. Klaus and I were standing at the foot of the bed. The walls were smeared with blood, seeing how we had dragged the bodies of the other Brothers of the Five into the room. Of course, seeing Klaus and I covered in blood shocked Rebekah._

 _"What happened?" Rebekah asked, confused._

 _"Ask him," Klaus said, stepping aside._

 _He showed Rebekah that he'd killed Alexander, who had definitely deserved what he got. He had been killed with his own sword, which was sort of ironic. Rebekah, however, didn't find it amusing at all and began to cry over her lost lover._

 _"Only, he cannot answer, because I have ripped his tongue out," Klaus continued. "Along with the rest of them."_

 _"Nik, Thalia, I had no idea," Rebekah insisted._

 _"But you should have," I told her, coldly. "I told you all that this would happen, but you did not listen. For that, your own family was nearly wiped out, just because of your stupidity. What did he promise you?"_

 _"Nothing," Rebekah lied. "Nothing."_

 _"He would not have made a move unless he knew you were vulnerable," I pointed out. "You trusted him over me! What did he promise you?"_

 _"Nothing, I swear," Rebekah lied again._

 _"What did he promise you?!" Klaus snapped._

 _"Nothing, Nik," she sobbed. "Nothing."_

 _Klaus grabbed Rebekah by the shoulders and forced her to her feet. "Tell me, Rebekah!"_

 *****END OF FLASHBACK*****

It was the ultimate I told you so moment for me. They listened to me from then on, but still didn't believe me much. If only they had've listened, we never would've had to put up with those pesky daggers and their constant threat.

"Go ahead, Rebekah," I insisted, coldly. "Tell him. Tell him what the hunter told you the tattoo leads to. What is this great weapon that could bring about the end of the vampire species?"

"A cure," she said, quietly. "He said there was a cure.

Klaus got up and Stefan followed him. I'd finished the bottle of bourbon, as it was hall-empty when I got it. Knowing they were going to the parlour, I got up and followed them too.

"There is no cure for vampirism," Stefan stated.

"They're telling the truth, Stefan," Rebekah muttered.

"Then why wouldn't you have searched for it, found it?" Stefan asked, skeptically.

Rebekah joined us as Klaus poured himself a drink. He set out another glass, poured scotch into it, and then handed it to me. I took it and drank it, letting it warm up the back of my throat.

"Because when the hunters drew their final breath that night, the marks disappeared from their body, the map was fone, and the Brotherhood of the Five was extinct," I explained, seeing that no one else was going to. "For nine hundred years, there was not a whisper of another one, until the new one came along."

"Well, now we have the map, what do we do next?" Rebekah asked, becoming hopeful.

" _We_ don't do anything," Klaus told her. "You can't be trusted, little sister. You'll be blabbing this secret to the first boy who calls you pretty. I mean, it's pathetic, really, isn't it? How she continues to hand her heart to any man who shows her a hint of affection. You'd think she would've learned by now from the endless cycle of disappointment and deception."

"But I haven't, instead I stayed with you and let you leech every moment of happiness from my life!" She snapped. "You know, at least I fared better than Finn. Klaus left him daggered because he was tired of his judgment."

"No, Finn was a dullard. He was more interesting lying in a box."

"And here I was, thinking we could have a nice night," I muttered, sarcastically.

"You have your little whore there!" Rebekah yelled at Klaus. "We all know she only forgave you after you blood-shared in order to heal her because of the werewolf venom. Then you two made out today and blood-shared again. Don't tell me you didn't because there's blood on the shoulder of both of your shirts."

"At least I can have sex with someone and have someone show me affection without falling in love," I quipped. "Maybe I forgave Klaus because if I were him, I'd do the same thing and so would you. Oh, and Klaus is way better in bed then you are." Rebekah glared at me while Klaus almost choked on his drink. "Oh, wait, was that meant to be a secret? My bad."

Before anyone could yell at me or say something to piss me off, I left the room and went back to my own. I locked the door behind myself, knowing that Klaus would want to talk to me about sleeping with his sister. He spoke to me about sleeping with Kol and then Elijah, so why not about Rebekah?

Klaus had always suspected that I had slept with Rebekah, but he'd never had proof until now. We had both been experimenting with the concept of a threesome. The guy we were with asked for some girl on girl action and I was more than happy to do it, seeing how I was drunk, feeling experimental, and angry with Klaus.

There was a knock on my door, so I answered it. Klaus walked in and smiled at me, although I could tell he was upset and a little annoyed. I had been drinking bourbon and trying not to feel bad about telling Stefan and Klaus the secret I had promised Rebekah I would keep.

He shut the door behind himself and sat down next to me. I didn't even want to look him in the eyes and see his judgmental look. Usually when I slept with Kol or that time when I slept with Elijah, it was to get back at Klaus. I could only imagine that was what he was thinking now.

"So, did you sleep with Rebekah thinking that it would be a good way to get back at me?" Klaus asked, getting straight to the point.

"Not really," I said, honestly. "It was a threesome and there was some girl-on-girl action. My intentions were only to sleep with the guy, but I was too drunk too care. It's kind of evident that I wasn't too drunk to forget, though."

"You slept with a man to get back at me, but slept with my sister too," Klaus stated, angrily. "Next you're going to reveal that you had sex with Finn too, and Mikael! Why do you do this to me, Thalia?! Do you think that just because it's almost been one hundred years that it doesn't hurt?! I tried to move on and pleasured myself, but at the end of the day, I thought about you and only you!"

I had two options here: confess that I hadn't truly gotten over him either, or hurt Klaus so badly that he'll never love me again, but would be able to move on. Because I'm selfish, I knew I wouldn't hurt him. We both know it, whether Klaus thinks he does or not.

"Do you think that leaving me to be killed by Mikael didn't hurt _me_?" I asked, just as angry. "I stepped in, expecting you to stand by me and help me stop him, but you ran! You threatened to hurt my best friend, but I was there for you! If you think that I didn't think about you all this time, you're wrong! I tried not to, but I did! I tried to get rid of the thoughts of you with alcohol and sex, but it didn't work!"

Klaus angrily kissed me, letting the passion show in the kiss. It wasn't the sweet kind of passion, it was the rough, hungry kind that courses through you and controls you. I kissed back, just as passionately, and let him push me down and undress me, as I undressed him. I gave into what I'd wanted for years, but hadn't been able to have because he wasn't there...


	19. A Little Situation

Klaus had left early in the morning to go to Italy. I had muttered goodbye when he left my room, then gone back to sleep. Now I was being woken up again because Klaus had opened the blinds when he left at two and the sun was shining into my eyes.

I groaned and forced myself out of bed. It was cold and I wanted to go back to sleep, but I had things to do and vampire hunters to keep an eye on. Seeing how I was still naked, standing in the middle of my room probably wasn't the best idea.

My bathroom was colder than I had expected, so I got in the shower and made the conscious decision to shower as fast as I could manage. The longer I stay in the bliss of the warm water, the longer it takes me to get used to the cold.

When I got out, I dried myself and then got dressed. As usual, I wore black jeans, a burgundy shirt and black combat boots. My leather jacket was on the floor of my room, so I wore a different one than usual. It was darker than the other one.

Then I decided that I wanted a coffee. Klaus had sent a few of the hybrids on a shopping trip yesterday, so I actually had what I needed. I could also make myself some pancakes, but I wasn't really feeling like it right now.

I walked downstairs and went straight to the kitchen. The hybrids were all beginning to wake up, which was good. I offered one of them coffee, but she just scowled at me and walked past. I was being nice, but it means more for me.

When I finished my coffee, which had brought warmth to my icy cold fingers, I decided to go and check on Connor. I walked down the hallway and pushed open the door, just to freeze in place. There was a headless body on the floor and the hunter was gone.

"I am going to kill someone!" I screamed, storming into the room and seeing if he was hiding.

A few hybrids came running into the room as I turned around to face them. They noticed that one of the other hybrids were on the floor, without a head, but they knew it wasn't me because I wasn't covered in blood.

Blinding, white hot rage ran through me. I kicked over the frame with chains that had held the hunter and it flew across the room. The wooden frame smashed against the wall, but it hadn't helped much. Connor was still gone and Klaus would be furious.

"Right, who's the dead hybrid?" I asked, pulling out my phone to call Klaus.

"I think it's Nate," one of them told me, quietly. "What happened to him?"

"You are kidding me!" I exclaimed, dramatically throwing my arms in front of me. "The hunter found a way to escape and beheaded your friend with the chains around his wrist! Look at the body and think next time! No one call Klaus! Just go and get all of the other hybrids here into the parlour!"

I unlocked my phone and found Klaus' number. He would kill me for losing the hunter, and if the hunter dies then whoever killed him is going to be totured for it. This is not a good situation and Klaus will be angrier than I am.

My phone took half a minute before it even began to call Klaus, and he only picked up on the lastr ring. That made me angrier, but I didn't let him know it.

"Nate, the ever-incompetent hybrid is dead and Connor Jackson is gone," I stated, quickly. "I only just found out and your hybrids don't know what to do. Oh, and the body has no head so I assume there's a pretty good dose of werewolf venom with the hunter."

" _I could scream at you, but I'm not going to,_ " Klaus decided. " _I'll talk to Stefan about it. You deal with the body and whatever else you need to_."

I hung up without saying goodbye, then I shoved my phone back into my pocket and walked into the parlour. It was sort of central, so it wasn't that much of a surprise when I saw that all of the hybrids in the house were here already.

Nate was dead, Tyler isn't sired anymore, and Tyler has two body guards, so there was only four gone. I wasn't cleaning up the body myself, and I was tracking down that stupid vampire hunter. The body was going to be left to the hybrids.

"If you're squeamish around dead bodies, you're pathetic and can leave right now," I told them, harshly. "A few of you have a dead body to clean up and I have a hunter to find. Now, who here knows how to properly dispose a dead body?" No one moved. "No one? Really? I thought werewolves accidentally had to kill someone or be bitten to turn. Surely you hid the body."

They all exchanged looks, which annoyed me. I sighed dramatically and threw myself to the floor. I just laid on the floor and let them stare at me because I was frustrated. My hands covered my face before I sat back up.

"Are you alright?" One of the hybrids asked me.

"Fine," I said, getting back to my feet. "Right, I need you all to think because if you're going to be Klaus' bitches, you're all going to need to know how to get rid of a body."

"We aren't his bitches," the hybrid that scowled at me earlier insisted.

"You do everything he tells you to do," I pointed out. "If you're not his bitches then I don't know who is, Scowler."

"Maybe it's you," Scowler quipped. "The screams were pretty loud last night. I didn't want to listen, but I had no choice."

Before anyone could say or do anything, I rushed over, picked Scowler up by the throat, then went back to where I had been standing before. She kicked me in the stomach, but it didn't do much. Scowler then tried to bite my hand, but that failed too.

"Right, next time _any_ of you speak to me like that, I'm going to rip your pretty little throats out," I warned. "Now, Scowler, when I let go of you, you're gonna want a good idea or I'll start with you."

I tossed Scowler away from me and she fell on her ass. I would've laughed, but I was too angry to find humor in the situation. Scowler got back to her feet and took a step forward, as if she was going to hit me. She swung a punch, but she didn't get anywhere near my face.

Shadows flung her backwards, into the group of hybrids. I sighed and turned my back to them, grabbing a bottle of bourbon from the cupboard near by. When I turned back around, Scowler was standing at the front of the group of hybrids.

It gave me time to really look at her. She had a thick mane of sylishly wavy black hair, which fell to her shoulder blades. Her dark hazel eyes radiated hatred and her olive skin complimented her eyes. She was strong and athletic, but that wasn't going to help her much.

"We're sworn to Klaus, not you," she told me, angrily. "You don't get to boss us around just because you have magic and are an Original vampire. You're not superior to us and you never will be. People like you are the scum of the earth!"

"Lisa, maybe we shouldn't do this," one hybrid whispered, thinking I wouldn't hear him. "She's clearly Klaus' friend for a reason, and he doesn't seem to have many. Then there was the thing with the magic and it's not a good idea to go against her."

Scowler ignored her friend and kept glaring at me. I opened the half-drunk bottle of bourbon and tipped some down my throat. Then I screwed the lid back on and put the bottle on the floor. There was going to be a fight and I wish to be able to continue drinking when it's over.

"Well, Scowler, I don't believe you've heard of me because if you had've, you would be begging me to forgive you," I decided.

"Everyone knows of you," another hybrid said, bravely. "We don't like you or your reputation, and you need to learn that we aren't your minions."

Realizing that a fight would come from this, I grinned. This clearly made a few hybrids nervous, but I just signalled for them to come forward. All of them were hesitant, but when Lisa moved, the rest of them did too. They may be sired to Klaus, but Lisa was their alpha.

They all ran forward as one, apart from three smart ones. Before they could reach me, someone walked in and they all flew backwards. I turned, confused and annoyed, to find Will in the room. He winked at me as he strolled over.

"Right, Klaus told me that you have an issue and a dead body, and that he assumed you would get into a fight with the hybrids," Will stated, then turned to the hybrids. "You two, go and burn the dead body in the garden, but throw flowers and sticks and stuff in to try and cover the smell. Then dump the ashes in the pond. The rest of you can go. Klaus' orders."

All of the hybrids walked off, clearly not wanting to anger this warlock. Will smirked to himself and then picked up the bottle of bourbon. He sniffed it, then drunk some before handing it to me. I drunk some too and then began to wonder what he wanted.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "Why did Klaus send you?"

"Your vampire hunter is on the loose and he wants him alive at all costs," Will explained, shrugging. "I assume he thinks you've got a plan, but it's clear you don't. Oh, and your phone's buzzing."

I reached into my back pocket and pulled my phone out. Damon had texted me a few times. He kept telling me to get my ass to the Lockwood Mansion as soon as possible. The issue was; I have no clue as to where the new Lockwood Mansion is.

"Well, I have to pay someone a visit and help out with this hunter," I said. "Do you know where the new Lockwood Mansion is?"

"I know where everything is, Thalia," Will muttered. "I'm driving your car."

My car keys appeared in his hand and I sighed, dramatically. We walked out of the house and towards my car.

Will had purposely taken the long way, so I was worried that we would be late. I almost killed him, but I didn't want to have to scrub blood off of my leather seats. It might ruin them and I don't feel like getting them replaced or coming up with a good cover story.

When I walked in, I found only Damon, Tyler and Elena. Will smirked and walked further into the room, clearly confusing Damon. Tyler and Elena clearly knew who Will was, as they both let out an annoyed sigh. Or maybe it was my presence. Who knows? Who cares?

"You always keep such interesting company," Damon muttered, sarcastically. "Thalia, which warlock is this? The mysterious one or the other one that you left."

"I'm Will," he stated, calmly. "Tyler, Elena, if only you didn't ruin my first two years of high school, it would be a pleasure to see you again. However, you ruined it and I would rather be anywhere else. Hell has a certain appeal right now."

"You're here because I have no choice but to bring you, so play nice or I'll tear out your tongue!" I threatened. "Now, what's the plan and what exactly happened because I've been left out of the loop?"

Damon sighed and Tyler was annoyed. Elena looked whiny and annoying, and I had the urge to tear her throat out, then her heart. However, the moment I move towards Elena and tried to hurt her, Damon and Tyler would throw their lives away to save her.

"Connor has Jeremy and a few other hostages in the Mystic Grill," Tyler explained. "We're going to get them out and kill him. We just don't know how."

This was a brilliant plan. I'm in, even if Klaus wants the hunter alive. Screw Klaus. That guy shot me and he's going to pay for it with his life. Of course, I won't be the one to kill him because I don't want to face the nightmares again.

"I'm in," I said.

"Right, so, we each take a different entrance; hit them at the same time," Damon explained.

Stefan walked into the room and Elena got up and walked over to him. I made a gagging motion, then turned to Will, who's pale skin had gone a lot paler. He clearly didn't like Elena, Stefan, or Tyler, but it wasn't my place to ask.

"Stefan!" Elena exclaimed, happily.

"Where the hell have you been?" Damon asked, angrily.

"Coming up with a plan," Stefan said, as soon as he was finished hugging Elena.

"Yeah, we have a plan," Damon told him. "The plan is I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him."

"That's not a plan." Someone was in a grumpy mood. "We need to be careful. Connor has Jeremy and who knows how many other hostages."

"Hence, the open heart surgery."

"Damon's right," Elena added. "Connor's strong, but he's not going to be able to take all of us."

"I called in the hybrids too," Tyler informed us.

Will turned and smirked at me, knowing that I would end up getting that fight with the hybrids that I had wanted. Now I'm beginning to think it wasn't the best plan, but I can compel them all to forget if I have to. We'll be fine.

"My mum put squad cars blocking the streets," Caroline stated, walking into the room. "They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go."

"And I bring my beautiful, immortal, powerful self," I told them, wanting to add something.

"Good," Damon said, ignoring me. "Great. No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around."

"Alright, hold on, you're not all going," Stefan argued, looking at Caroline, Elena and I.

This immediately pissed almost everyone off. Tyler looked as if he was going to punch Stefan, Elena didn't realize that Stefan thought she couldn't do it and was oblivious, Caroline is more than capable and will do whatever she wants, Damon just wants to kill someone, and Will was fine with it.

"He shot me like nine times," Tyler reminded us. "If we're killing him, I want in."

"He's got Jeremy," Elena said. "I'm going."

"Listen, nobody is going anywhere until I figure out what we're walking into," Stefan insisted.

"There's no way I'm letting _you_ figure it out," I argued, darkly. "We've got a plan and it's a good one. You lot aren't good with making decisions on less than a day's notice, as seen with what happened to Abby, Bonnie's mum. I, however, am great at it. If _you're_ going to make the plan, then I'm out. I'd rather not get shot more times than necessary and no one should have to die because you idiots can't think. Have fun not dying without me to take the bullets."

I got to my feet and glared at everyone, daring them to stand with me. Damon was extra-pissed off now and Tyler seemed to be a bit more reluctant. Will, who I don't think was capable of caring, just got up, shrugged and stood by my side.

"This guy is known for setting traps," Stefan pointed out, now trying to get me to stay. "We'd be pretty dumb to walk into one, especially if he has werewolf venom."

"Does he?" Elena asked, re-thinking all of this.

"He's had it before."

"Fine," Damon said, furiously. "Fine, if you want to take some time to do recon, you get one hour. We're gonna need some extra help. So, where the hell is the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"She can't do magic," Caroline explained.

"Really?" Damon questioned. "Well, call her, tell her Jeremy's life is in danger; maybe that will bring her out of retirement."

Everyone looked at me, waiting to see what my reaction would be. Honestly, I was trying not to just kill Stefan and Elena, angering everyone else, and then lead them to the Grill. That way they could focus all the anger on killing the hunter.

Will, somehow sensing my plan, shook his head at me. His shaggy hair shook too, but somehow went back into place. He probably used magic to have such good hair because that's the only way it would work.

"Well, I guess you all want to die," I said, an uncaring expression on my face. "Have fun being dead. I'm out. For future reference, I spent around seven years of my life training to kill people. This guy is nothing compared to what I can do, but he's still pretty good. I would tell you the kind of traps you can expect, but that ruins all the fun."

"Thalia, we need you to help us," Tyler insisted. "You're meant to draw the attention so no one dies. We can take the bullets out of your chest, but they'll kill the rest of us."

"Maybe Stefan should've thought about that before he decided to take control," I told him, bitterly. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I think I might plan a trip to Chicago so I can get away from the idiots here. Out of all the Originals, I'm the meanest, but I've been nice to you. Think on that because I'm leaving now."

Damon and Will followed me out of the room. Will followed because he didn't have much choice and Damon was just as angry as me, but was refusing to quit.

Whatever they wanted to do, they could do it themselves. I'm not going to rely on their last-minute plan because history repeats itself and I will not be a victim of history. They can figure something else out if they want to be so stupid...


	20. Miss Mystic Falls

About a week ago, I had gotten a call from Damon asking me to help Elena out. I was still annoyed with his brother, so I said no. Elena had killed the vampire hunter and I was happy to here that she began to hallucinate about an hour after.

Klaus had returned with the sword and had helped them out by offering a hybrid as a sacrifice, much to my displeasure. When he had gotten home, I was angrily making cupcakes because I wanted one, but I didn't want to go outside. Making cashiers deal with my angry mood wasn't on my list of things to do.

I had threatened to cut off Klaus' hand with the sword he was holding when he reached for a cupcake before I had put the icing on. Without icing, it's really just a vanilla muffin and it's no fun to look at. That, and I like putting the icing on cakes and cupcakes.

When I was finally over my three-day-long bad mood, Klaus had told me about the stupid Miss Mystic Falls pageant. He was taking Caroline to it, and that had made me feel oddly jealous, but I forced the feeling back down. Maybe I wasn't jealous and I was upset because I had no one to go with.

Elena had broken up with Stefan and was taking Matt, I had sunken low enough to ask Jeremy Gilbert and found out that he was taking a girl named April Young, and there's no way in hell that I am asking either of the Salvatore brothers. I was still annoyed with Stefan because his plan had failed, like I told him it would, and last time I took Damon to a dance, I got shot.

Now it was the day of the stupid pageant and I didn't have a date. I wouldn't normally care, but I wanted to show Hayden that I could easily find someone else and Klaus had basically told me that I wouldn't be able to find a date. Naturally, that had pushed me to find one and I had failed.

"Thalia Ashwood, you wouldn't by any chance have a date to Miss Mystic Falls, would you?" A familiar voice asked, entering the parlour. It was Will, the creepy, annoying warlock.

"I'm not going," I told him, bringing the bottle of scotch to my lips and drinking a bit. "Why would I want to go? It doesn't concern me?"

"So, you don't have a date," Will decided. "Brilliant. I'll be back in an hour to pick you up."

"I said I'm not going. How did you even get in here?"

"I'm a creepy warlock, Thalia. Not going to the pageant is social suicide, so we're going together. We're both known for being mysterious and I'm not going alone again. See you in an hour."

Will turned and walked out. I sighed and finished the bottle of scotch. That stupid warlock! If he wasn't offering me a way to prove Klaus wrong and to piss off Hayden, I would snap his scrawny neck!

I stormed up the stairs and into my room. Because I hadn't planned to go to the pageant, I didn't have a dress to wear. All of the dresses I owned were either too much or weren't classy enough and that left me with only one option.

There was only one dress to wear, and I didn't have any other choice but to wear it. Thankfully, it was sort of pretty. It was a tight, black dress and around the heart-shaped neckline was a shiny ribbon sowed in, and there was another belt-like ribbon around my waist. What I choose to wear with this will make it classier.

Reluctantly, I removed my mother's necklace and placed it in it's own box. I then switched it for a pretty diamond necklace that was v-shaped and had an intricate design. My rings stayed on, as I was going out in the sun, but I added a silver bracelet with the words 'blood and sacrifice' carved into the inside of it, so no one could see. I also wore diamond-drop earrings.

The words were a way to remember what controlled me and what made me what I am. Blood controls me and without it, I would starve and blood as in family had control over me for all of my human life. As for sacrifice, it was how I justified everything I did. I allowed myself to be a sacrifice to be trained to kill and becoming a vampire and then feeding was a sacrifice. My magic was the price.

I then went to my bathroom and curled my hair. I couldn't be bothered with make-up, so I left it. My skin cannot have any blemishes because it would just heal, so I don't need foundation and I'm not a fan of running late because I got up too late and did my make-up. It's happened a few times.

After checking my phone and realizing that it had been almost an hour, I slipped on my black heels and went back to the parlour. As soon as I got there, Will walked into the room and shamelessly stared at me. I rolled my eyes, which made him grin.

Will looked quite handsome, but I didn't stare like he did. His shaggy hair was out of his eyes and his dark blue eyes looked black because of his suit, which had black dress pants, a white dress shirt, a black suit jacket and a black tie.

"Miss Ashwood, you're eyes are incredibly noticeable today," Will stated, mocking my English accent.

"I don't even know your last name," I told him, annoyed.

"It's Ashford," he said. "We should get going. Carol will not be happy if I'm late."

"Why would she care?" I asked, as we began to head towards the front door.

"She's my aunt. That's all you need to know and that's all I'm going to say. Now, we're taking my car, as I drove it here and I can drive you home or Klaus can. Your choice."

Something about Will excited me, but made me nervous at the same time. He was a mix between Klaus and Damon, but without the vampire abilities. I had no doubt that the young warlock could get just as angry as the two vampires I had fallen in love with at different times.

Will and I walked into the house that he probably lived in, as Carol Lockwood is his aunt. He led me outside, as I had no clue where I was going. Everyone that was of age to be in high school stared at us. I smiled at each and every one of them, knowing that I looked better than they did.

I could sense the fact that Will had tensed up, but I ignored it and took his hand. He immediately pulled his hand away and stopped in his tracks. I couldn't stop at the same time he did, so I followed through with the step forward before turning to face him.

He was on edge and I felt bad. Everyone from Mystic Falls High School was staring at us, including all of Hayden's friends. His face showed arrogance and made him look as if he was uncaring and angry at the same time, but his eyes told me that was not the truth.

For some reason, a lot of my humanity pushed through and I felt bad. No one should have to fear what others think of them and no one should be stared at just for walking past. Whatever they had against him was probably stupid and pointless.

"Just take my hand, warlock," I commanded, taking his hand again. "Listen, they're a bunch of simple-minded high school students and we're supernatural beings. We're both hot and we should just flaunt it."

"My aunt and Hayden are both coming over," Will muttered, looking at our entwined hands. "Whoever gets here first decides on your demeanor."

My suspicion was that Carol Lockwood would reach us first, and I was correct. Hayden backed off as I turned around and as the mayor of this small town reached us. She had a smile on her face and it was genuine, as it reached her eyes.

"Thalia, I see you and Will are getting alone," she stated. "Will, go speak to one of your friends. I need to borrow your date."

Both Will and I faked smiles. When he walked off, I realized that Will probably didn't have any friends. I do not even know him that well, but I did sympathize. High school seems like such a cut-throat place. It revolves around who's pretty and has the most money.

Carol lead me over to a set of stairs. She was excited about something and I wanted to know what, but she wasn't telling me. That annoyed me more than it should have, but I forced the annoyance down and kept the smile plastered on my face.

"So, I see you came with my nephew," Carol said, unable to hold back the excitement in her voice. "He is such a sweet boy, but not even Tyler will give him a chance." Her voice now turned serious and her smile dropped. "Someone like you could have whatever boy she wants. If you toy with my nephew, you will regret it."

"Don't worry, Carol," I reassured her. "I have no such plans. We're just here as friends. Maybe you and your son should talk about being nicer to Will because Tyler treats him like a fool and you're treating him like a child."

"He lost his parents, Thalia," Carol told me, before I could walk away. "He was eight and he saw them get shot in the chest and head, or so he told us. We don't know if that actually happened. If you don't think I have the best interests for both my son and nephew in mind, you are wrong."

I rolled my eyes, then walked off. Thankfully, Will wasn't far off. He was talking to Hayden, Carter, Kyle, Sam, Daniel, and Jordan. I couldn't be bothered to listen in or focus on their faces, as I was focusing on not walking into someone.

After two minutes of avoiding pushing through people, I reached the group of teenage boys. Sam, Kyle, Hayden, Daniel, and Jordan all had nasty looks on their faces. Carter was standing there, looking guilty and he was trying to hide it. Then there was Will, who was angry and probably upset too.

All of them were wearing suits that looked identical, apart from the different shades of black and grey for the ties. Will shook his head, as if telling me to go, but I wasn't going to listen to him. These boys were clearly being assholes and I wanted to taunt them a bit.

"Hello Hayden," I greeted, feeling oddly insecure about my English accent.

"Thalia, I see you're here with this little freak," Hayden said, shoving Will so hard that he would've fallen if I hadn't of placed my hand on his back.

"Perfect match, really," Kyle sneered. "A bitch and a freak."

"That was weak," I told them, laughing. "I don't think I'll ever truly understand why people take their own insecurities out on others. Maybe you're afraid that you're going to be viewed as a freak, or maybe it makes you feel better to treat people like they're not wanted by anyone."

"Says the vampire!" Jordan hissed.

Panic rushed through me, but I covered it with a calm exterior. I heard Damon swear under his breath, meaning he was nearby. Klaus looked up and over at me, from behind the group of teenage boys. Our eyes met and he decided not to step in.

I decided to smirk and then I laughed. They must've thought it would scare me off, and although I had a moment of panic, it was nothing. Hayden or Carter must've told them, and my money is on Hayden, as Carter doing it would risk Alice's life.

"Seeing how you know what I am, you might know that there is currently four other vampires, at least six hybrids, and a werewolf here too," I informed them. "Now run back to your mummy and tell her how you're pathetic enough to call a woman a bitch and someone a freak."

Each of them wore the same shocked expression. I turned on my heel and then stalked off. Will came with me and he was as shocked as Hayden and his friends. He followed me to a table, where he sat down as I grabbed two glasses of champagne that were on a tray being carried.

Caroline had set this up, as she was last years Miss Mystic Falls, and she had done a really good job. It was a pretty set up and apparently last year's was mainly inside, which made it difficult to see. This year it was mainly outside.

Will skeptically looked at the glass of champagne and I realized that we're both underage in America. I swore, sat down, and began to drink anyway. American's are so strict on their drinking laws. It varies across the world and some countries have made drinking illegal, but quite a large portion of the world has made their legal drinking age 18.

Klaus walked over with a concerned look on his face. He eyed Will suspiciously as he sat down next to me. He looked handsome in a suit that looked like Will's, but he had a silver tie instead. His blue eyes shone and his hair was neatly styled.

"I thought you weren't coming," Klaus said, unsurprised. "Here I was, thinking you wouldn't find a date, so you wouldn't come. Now you almost get revealed at an event crawling with town council members. I suggest you kill those boys and be done with it."

"I have my own plans for them," I told Klaus, taking a sip of champagne. "They think they're so high and mighty, but they aren't. My human life was controlled by people like them and in most cases, I never got my revenge. Why can't I have a little fun now?"

"I'm sitting at a table with the most evil people in the supernatural world and they're discussing revenge, which should be left to me," Will muttered. "Neither of you should do anything to them. Just leave them alone."

I looked at Will and felt intrigued. Most people would gladly let Klaus and I at least plan the revenge, but not Will. Either he wanted to plan it himself, or he just didn't care. It clearly confused Klaus, and he even looked a little offended.

Klaus and I are the biggest bads in the history of bad. Damon was on the list too, until he fell in love with Elena and become Saint Stefan the Second. I had always thought of Stefan as the saint, so when I found that Damon was good, it was a shock.

"Very well," Klaus agreed. "I'm going to leave you two here and let you do whatever it is you teenagers do for fun."

I glared at Klaus, but then he got up and walked off. Will decided to drink his champagne and finished the glass in one go. We stayed there for a while, just making small talk.

All of the girls had been escorted and did the stupid traditional dance. During that, I noticed that Jeremy Gilbert was meant to escort April Young, but Matt had to do it instead. That was a dick move and I hope that April or someone calls him out for it.

Will had disappeared on me, so I was looking for him. Tyler was watching Klaus and Caroline and I saw that his werewolf friend wasn't with him. I walked over to him and grabbed a glass of champagne for myself.

I stood next to Klaus' first-ever successful hybrid. We both watched as Klaus and Caroline laughed and joked around. Tyler and Caroline had broken up because apparently he slept with his werewolf friend while he was in some mountain range.

Tyler had a jealous look on his face. He grabbed a glass of champagne and turned to face me, as I just watched Klaus and Caroline. It was like someone has stabbed me in the stomach and twisted the knife. I also believe that feeling either means a sad kind of jealousy or guilt.

"You and Klaus were a thing, huh?" Tyler questioned. "Damon told me about it."

"To being jealous exes," I said, raising my glass.

We clinked our glasses and I almost poured the whole thing down my throat. That's the beauty of not having a gag-reflex anymore; I can drink as much as I want in one go. It's the same with food, but I tend to be more civil when I'm eating.

"What do you really want?" Tyler asked, suspiciously.

"Have you seen Will? He disappeared."

"Yeah, he does that a lot. He's probably in his room."

I thanked Tyler, then walked off. Even though I had no idea where Will's room was, I was determined to find him. He couldn't be that good at hiding, could he? I should be able to at least hear his heart beat if I walk down the halls.

When I entered the mansion, I had to hide from people. It wasn't that hard, seeing how they just didn't see me. Hide and seek is my favourite game because I can hide so well and I have perfect hearing. I just hope that Will isn't using a spell to stop me from hearing him.

Somehow, I managed to walk right past security, who were casually standing on the stairs and having a _lovely_ chat about cars. In fact, one of them asked about the maserati with windows tinted so dark it was illegal. I laughed quietly and kept going.

There were two hallways I could go down, but I was lucky enough to know where one would lead me. If I went right then I would end up in the rooms with all the pageant girls, and I would rather not be yelled at by some over-dramatic, annoying teenage girl. That left me with going right.

Sneaking down this hall was easy, after crawling under the rope because jumping over it would cause too much noise and I'm too short to step over it. I hate being short. Well, most people insist I'm average height, but I'm on the shorter side of average height.

While I walked down the hall, I could hear a heart beating. I didn't care about how fast it was going, I just followed it until I got to a room where it was louder. I walked past the room, but doubled back, as I was just making sure.

The door was open a little and there was something going on, so I pushed the door open and saw that Hayden and his friends had cornered Will. I made eye-contact with Will for not even a second before he was being shoved back. Seeing how they know what I am, I can have a little fun.

I rushed and pulled Hayden and Jordan back, then hid. They all looked around, but turned back to Will. Then I knocked Daniel onto his ass and he accidentally knocked Sam over too. Now they were scared and asking each other what was happening.

The room was dark enough for me to use shadows to pull Kyle to the floor, and making it look like he was pushed. They ran for the door, but I stepped in their way before they could leave. I let my fangs slip out and they scrambled back.

"Don't you know not to mess with my friends?" I asked, tauntingly. A smirk appeared on my face and I just laughed. "You foolish little boys! Did you think I wouldn't come looking? Now I find you beating him! I should kill you!"

"Please don't!" Sam begged.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?!" I asked, pushing them back and storming into the room. I shut and locked the door behind myself so no one could hear or get in. "You would think that my message was clear, but obviously not! I should sink my fangs into your necks and laugh as you scream!"

"Thalia, don't do it," Will spoke up. "There's other ways to make them suffer. Killing them is not what they deserve."

"See that!" I hissed at them. "He's asking me to keep you alive, so I will!"

One by one, I compelled them to forget that they were here. They think they were searching the rooms for alcohol when security saw them and they left. The only time they saw Will or I was in the morning, and we've stayed away from them since.

As soon as they were gone, Will slid back down the wall and hid his face from me. There were bruises on his arm and I could smell his blood too easily. I walked over to him and sat by his side. Will put his head between his knees, to further hide his injuries.

I sighed and sat there, unsure of what to do. I had just saved him from getting badly beaten, so why was I still here? Even if I save someone, I leave before they thank me because I usually don't care. It's my humanity. That's why I'm still here.

My humanity is why I even came looking in the first place. It's why I'm here. It's the reason I haven't left this stupid town already. The most problematic thing in my life is forcing it's way forward, but no matter what I do, I can never turn it off because it always comes back.

"Let me see your injuries," I insisted.

"Go away," Will said, hiding his anger. "I just want to be alone."

"You're bleeding and the nearest bathroom is blocked off," I pointed out. "Let me see if I can heal your injuries."

Reluctantly, Will looked up. He already had a bruise on his right cheek and his nose was bleeding, but not broken. In the morning he would have a black eye and his lip was split. Then there were his arms and he lifted his shirt to show me where they had kicked his ribs.

I moved onto my knees and traced my fingers along his ribs. He hissed in pain when I lightly traced my fingers over what I suspected was three broken ribs. These were pretty bad injuries and what they did to him was wrong.

Without vampire blood, we would have to send him to the hospital. If he gets there, he'll have to tell them what happened and I doubt he'll want to. However, Will is a warlock and they don't often accept vampire blood.

"Take my blood," I said, quietly.

I bit my wrist and offered it to Will. He pressed his lips to my wrist and drunk a little bit. When I thought he had enough, I pulled my wrist away. Will licked the blood off his lips and I could see there was tears in his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I think you should go."

I agreed, then left the room. Deciding that I wanted to get a drink, I left the mansion altogether and went to find someone to drink with.

Klaus had driven me home and he was in a great mood, unlike me. I was still worried about Will, who might still be healing. His ribs would take a while to heal, but he should be alright.

April Young had won Miss Mystic Falls, and I suspected it was out of pity, but I kept my mouth shut. I'd spoken to Damon about a creepy professor, who he was either going to kill or get answers out of. Oh, and it turns out Jeremy was killing a vampire instead of dancing with April.

As soon as I got home, I changed into sweatpants and one of the shirts I had stolen from Klaus. He saw me, but he didn't care. His day with Caroline must've been pretty good. They had been laughing and it was cute.

Part of me wanted to kill Caroline and blame it on someone else, but I knew I was just jealous. There's no reason for me to be jealous, but I am anyway. I keep reminding myself that it was just sex, but that's not really the case. There was bloodsharing too.

"Elena is sired to Damon," Klaus told me, taking my bottle of bourbon and pouring himself a drink.

"Not surprised," I muttered, snatching my bottle back.

I chugged down the bourbon and then licked my lips. There was no surprise that Elena was sired to Damon. In fact, it was kind of obvious. Everything Damon said Elena to do, she did. That's why she can't feed from anywhere but the vein and she killed Connor.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Klaus joked.

"Well, unlike you, I didn't have the time of my life," I said, venomously. "My date was bashed and I had to heal him. Then I ended up getting caught with champagne and was sent to Carol Lockwood, who then told Caroline to talk to me. Of course, I got out of that because she was with you."

"You're jealous."

"Why would I be? I'm immortal and can have whoever I want. Now, I wish to drink alone, so bye."

Klaus laughed to himself, then walked off. I glared at him and decided to get drunk so I don't feel all of the jealousy. It's what I was doing at the pageant anyway...


	21. A Little Fun

Klaus had been in a foul mood since that stupid Winter Wonderland thing. He had asked me to go with him, but I didn't want to. Why would _I_ want to go to something like that? I mean, sure it probably looked pretty, but it's not my thing.

I'm kind of glad I didn't go now, though. Mayor Lockwood had been killed, and although the council new someone had drowned her, they said it was an accident. That just made the Mayor look like a drunk, and that's not a good way to be remembered. It's probably how I'm going to be remembered, so it could be a bit worse.

No one has dared to actually accuse Klaus of killing Carol Lockwood, but we all knew it was him. Well, at least I assume we all know it was him, and by we, I mean the supernatural community of Mystic Falls. My suspicions had evidence to back them up, as Klaus had killed the rest of his hybrids, but could only find Carol, and not Tyler.

I had managed to speak to Tyler and comfort him, but Will was avoiding me and my calls. When I had gone over to visit Tyler, Will refused to even open his door. He had locked it with a spell, so when I saw Tyler try to force his way in, he just let out a yell, as it had burned his hand.

Now I was actually attending school because there's a mandatory assembly and it would be odd if all of a sudden, I just disappeared. I'm pretty sure the council all knows I'm an Original, so they would think I did it if I stopped going to school. I don't feel like getting shot with a wooden bullet laced with vervain any time soon, so I have to go.

Seeing how I had made quite an impression on my first day, I had to keep up the look. I wore my usual black skinny jeans, a black singlet, a red plaid shirt, and a jacket that looked like Dean Winchester's over the top. I matched that with my usual rings, necklace, and new black combat boots.

I walked out of my room and down to the kitchen, where Klaus was drinking straight from the bottle. He just glared at me as I pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and tossed it to him. Klaus just let it fall to the ground, then he appeared in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, clearly drunk.

"To school," I said, trying and failing to step around him. "We have a mandatory and it would seem sort of suspicious if I didn't show up. That, and Will might be there."

"Ah, yes, he's that warlock you fancy," Klaus stated. "Well, you're staying here. I don't like him and I don't trust him. You're lucky he wasn't at the event, or he and I would've had a lovely chat about him staying away from my best friend."

"That's a lie and we both know it. You would've killed him worse than you killed Carol Lockwood. Now, get out of my way, sober up, and go see if you can actually do some good instead of killing everyone."

Klaus snarled at me, so I actually kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying back. He landed on his ass, but knew better than to get back up. I was already running late and he's making it worse.

I used my heightened speed to get to my car as fast as possible. As soon as I shut the car door, I sped off. I went way over the speed limit until I got close to school. No one had pulled me over or honked their horn or even got in my way.

As I ran into school, I heard the assembly begin. I swore, threw my empty bag in my locker, and then kept going. When I actually got to the gym, where the assembly was being held, I saw Will run out and I knew it was my chance to speak to him.

I had two choices; help the hot, sad warlock or go to a stupid mandatory assembly. Being the wonderful person I am, I ran after Will. The vice principal called for me to stop, but I ignored him and kept running, in order to find Will.

A door shut as I turned the corner and I swore under my breath. It was difficult to pin-point his heartbeat, as I could hear the hearts of everyone in the gym, so I shut my eyes and just listened. He was in the classroom right down the hall.

I opened my eyes and walked down the hall as stealthily as I could. When I opened the door, I found Will sitting in the corner, his eyes glued to the floor. He refused to look up at me, even as I closed the door and sat down next to him.

There were tears rolling down Will's cheeks as I gently cupped his chin and turned his head so he was looking at me. Will didn't even try to stop me. He just didn't care. Grief is such a strange thing. I don't feel it often, but when I do, I don't like it.

"Don't give me the 'it gets better' speech because we both know it's a lie," Will muttered, as I wiped his tears off his face. "My aunt was the last family I have and now she's dead. Tyler's still alive, but he's not home often and he hates me anyway. It's not going to get better, and I know it. It's just going to get even worse."

"Maybe it doesn't get better," I said, trying to push all emotion from my voice and mind. "As a human, we were allowed to grieve, but we were expected to get over it. No one ever sat down and told me that the pain does not get better, but it does get easier to deal with. You will cry on the anniversary of their death and on the day of their birth, and sometimes at random points. However, the feeling starts to get easier to deal with."

"What would you know about loss?!" Will hissed, pushing me away. "You killed your own parents and turned your siblings into vampires! I doubt you even have emotions! If you do, you don't use them!"

Although the things said about my family was true, I did have emotions. I took pleasure in the way the life was taken from my parents, and making my siblings pay for betraying me felt good. Before then I had feelings too.

"I was human once." My words came out in a whisper. "There was a boy in the village and I loved him. I gave him everything; my love, my trust, my virginity, and even my heart. He died. Not by my hands, but he died all the same. I've had one thousand and nineteen years on this cursed earth to fall in and out of love. My heart has been broken over and over again. I don't like to show emotions, but they are there."

Will hugged me and I hugged him back. The vice principal chose that moment to walk in, but Will didn't care. He just quietly cried as I held him. Even when the vice principal cleared his throat, neither of us turned to face him.

After a minute of awkward silence and the vice principal just watching us hug, Will pulled away, wiped his eyes and then turned to glare at the man who was still standing at the door. One would think the message for him to leave was clear, but apparently not.

"You are both to return to the assembly right now," the vice principal insisted. "Both of you will be sent to detention."

I just laughed and got to my feet. My smile fell off my face as I walked over to the man who had annoyed me. Seeing how it would be seen as suspicious if I just killed him, I would have to compel him. There's no way in hell that I'm going to detention.

"You were looking for Will, who had run out of the assembly," I compelled. "Despite your efforts, you couldn't find him. You don't care, as his aunt just died, and all you wanted to do was make sure he was okay. Now return to the assembly. This never happened. You never saw us."

The vice principal just turned and walked out. Will wasn't surprised, but he wasn't happy with what I did either. He just got up, pushed past me, and left the room. I thought we made progress, but obviously not.

Seeing how I no longer had anything to read at home, I decided to go to the school library. When I got there, I found that the door was locked. I just sighed, rolled my eyes, and used a tendril of shadow to try and unlock the door.

As the door swung open, I heard people talking. It was sort of dark in here, so I looked around for the light switch. Sure, there was natural light, but nowhere near enough of it. Whoever is in here must be having a difficult time.

When I found the light switch, I shut the door and locked it. Then I turned on the light and heard a few people ask who turned the lights on. I laughed to myself and then walked towards the books. I went to the fiction section immediately, wanting to find something good to read.

I took a book called The Raven Boys, and then I got all of the books in the series. If it's good, then I buy the books and keep them so I can read them again. Seeing how this is a school library, they probably won't let me get any more, so I went to scan them so the school knew I had them.

"Thalia, what are you doing here?" Rebekah asked, angrily.

I turned around and saw Stefan, Elena, and Caroline sitting at two tables that were next to each other. Rebekah was standing there, looking displeased. I don't know whether she was annoyed with me or if it was Elena, Caroline, and Stefan, but something told me it didn't matter.

"I ran out of books to read," I told her, awkwardly standing there, holding four decent-sized books. "I'm interrupting something, aren't I? So, I'm just gonna go scan these books so the school knows I have them, and then I'll come back just in case you want to yell at me. It's a win-win for everyone."

Before Rebekah could object, I turned away and walked towards the desk. I reached around, turned the computer and scanner so they were facing me, and then began to scan the books. When I was done, I put the computer back in it's place and put all of my books in my bag.

Looking over at the door, I considered just running out. Even if Rebekah could catch me, she wouldn't be able to stop me. A more logical part of my brain said that I should probably just go talk to Rebekah because the books would slam into my back as I ran.

Deciding to do something different for once, I followed the more logical part of my brain and just walked over to Rebekah. Usually I would take my chances, as I really don't like being yelled at, but I was going to try something different today.

When I re-joined them, there was tension in the air. Elena and Stefan were looking away from each other, and Caroline sort of just sat there. My bet was on the fact that Elena and Stefan broke up and Elena slept with Damon.

"Thalia, did you know about Elena's sire bond and how she's sired to Damon?" Rebekah asked me, seeming to be amused.

"Yeah," I said, unsure of what to do. "Klaus figured it out and told me."

"I'll never understand how you can live with him," Rebekah told me. "You're just as bad as he is, and my theory was that you would keep arguing until one of you tried to kill the other and then moved out. So, my dearest brother is going to bring a professor called Shane here and we're going to interrogate him."

I took a seat across from Stefan, who looked as if someone had torn his heart in two. Figuratively, not literally. He would be dead if I were being literal, and I'm pretty sure that would cause the end of the fun Rebekah seems to be having.

When Rebekah said dearest brother, Kol was the first one to come to mind. Klaus would probably just scoff and tell her no, assuming he was sober enough to speak and wasn't passed out in a ditch. He had been really drunk when I left.

"Elena, tell me, what do you think of Thalia?" Rebekah asked. She then turned to me. "I compelled them to tell me everything. It's about time people in this town start telling the truth."

"Everyone keeps telling me that you're some scary, powerful Original, but you've not done anything," Elena told me, clearly not wanting to. "You threw a tantrum when you didn't get your own way, and you string along all these guys, but that's the only bad thing you've done. Damon once told me there was an internal power struggle between you and Klaus to find out who's the bigger bad, but it's clearly him."

I laughed. All I did was laugh for a solid thirty seconds. Did Elena really think that _Klaus_ is the bigger bad. That's ridiculous. Everything he's done, I've either done it first or I did something worse and on a bigger scale.

"You poor thing," I said, amused. "You really seem to think that Klaus is worse than I am. I brought him to his knees with a little power and a few tendrils of shadow. I kicked Alaric's ass when Klaus had been neutralized by the _Salvatores_. He killed his father, but I killed both my parents. I turned my siblings into vampires for revenge. Klaus is _nothing_ compared to me."

"I don't understand why you would want to be worse than Klaus," Caroline spoke up. "He's a monster."

"It's not who is the worst monster, Caroline," I told her, shaking my head. "I enjoy being a bad person. If I am not a bad person, then I will be like Elena. She is just as bad as I am. You all revolve around her like she's the sun, but she's not. Elena has gotten more people killed in the past two years than I have in all my human life, and I was trained to kill people. If that is heroism, I want to be a villain. That, and we really don't have enough female villains."

Everyone stared at me for sharing my thoughts and I just sat there. I reached into my bag and pulled out a book. It was the first in The Raven Boys trilogy. This earned me confused looks as to why an evil, murderous vampire would want to read.

After a while, everyone had fallen silent. I was okay with that, as it made it easier to read. Sometimes it's hard to focus when everyone's talking. Usually I can block it out, but Elena's voice annoys me to the point of making me want to commit mass murder to shut her up.

When I finished reading because I wanted to find something else to do, I switched to scrolling through tumblr on my phone. One gif set took half a century to load as I just waited. They were lucky that it was a Friends gif set.

I assume you don't see many fangirl vampires, and I can tell you for sure that the other Originals don't care much for getting involved in shows and books. Kol was a huge fan of Doctor Who, thanks to yours truly, but he tried to avoid fandom life. My theory is that he'll end up on tumblr obsessing over bands.

The door to the library opened and I looked up as Kol walked in. He and Rebekah conversed for not even a minute before he pulled the man who I assumed was Professor Shane through the door. He and Rebekah then went into another room, so I followed them.

As soon as I entered the room, I shut the door. This gained everyone's attention, but I wasn't focused on everyone. I was focused on the professor who will undoubtedly give us grief because Rebekah will end up needing him alive.

He was of medium height and build with curly dark brown hair and grey eyes. I remember Damon told me Bonnie said he was hot, but I wasn't seeing it. He seemed like the kind of person who could be sort of attractive or incredibly creepy. I was going with the latter.

"Kol and Rebekah Mikaelson, as well as Thalia Ashwood..." he stated, somehow knowing exactly who we were. "Three members of the Original family. This is such a trip."

"You must be Atticus Shane," I said, a cold smile creeping onto my face. "You teach occult studies at Whitmore, right? The class never appealed to me. I mean, why learn about your own life? There's not a thing in that class that you could teach me that I don't know."

"Where's the cure?" Rebekah asked, compelling him.

"Compulsion won't work," Shane told her, calmly. "It's a little trick I picked up in Tibet."

This seemed to annoy Rebekah, but I knew she had a back-up plan. Her revenge was clearly planned, but she didn't seem to have planned for something like this. I wasn't really worried, as I knew she would come up with something else.

"Right," Rebekah muttered, coming up with something else. "We'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way." Kol smiled as Rebekah looked at him. "Beat him until he tells you where to find it."

Rebekah walked out and shut the door behind herself. Kol grinned and walked over to me. The way he worse his hair was different now. I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not, but it didn't make that much of a difference.

I quickly hugged Kol before he pulled back and punched Atticus Shane so hard he fell to the floor. He smirked and gestured for me to have a go at beating the man, but I really didn't feel like it. This isn't how you get information from a man like this. His wits are stronger than him and he might just find a way out.

"Well, I would love to stay and watch you beat this man until you get bored and kill him, but I have to visit a friend," I informed Kol. "I'm staying at Klaus', if you want to come around later. Being alone is very boring. I could use a distraction from my boredom, and you'll do perfectly."

I teasingly bit my lip and Kol just chuckled. Then I turned and walked out, with every intention of finding and speaking to Will.

When I got home, I went straight to the parlour. I had tried to find Will, but he was hiding from me or something. He was really good at cloaking spells, and he deserved credit for that, as he'd kept it up for two hours.

As I passed the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of bourbon, opened it, and began to drink. I slowly made my way to the parlour, feeling a little lonely without any hybrids to annoy. They were annoying, but I was probably worse. I wonder what they did to piss Klaus off.

Klaus, my best friend, had not spoken to me in three days, other than this morning when he was piss drunk and controlling. All I knew was that his hybrids were dead and so was Carol Lockwood. Tyler was his last hybrid, and I have no doubt Klaus wants to change that.

I entered the parlour and saw Will waiting for me. He was sitting in a chair, staring at the floor while he thought about something. Deciding that I wanted to have a little fun, I snuck over there and made him jump when I sat down next to him.

"I didn't want to be alone at home," Will confessed. "I figured that a certain immortal would have a pretty good movie selection and wouldn't mind watching movies with me."

"You figured right," I told him, smirking. "We'll go up to my room, just in case Klaus comes home. He's not in the best mood right now."

For the rest of the day, Will and I watched movies in my room. It was peaceful and fun. Although he was still mourning the loss of his aunt, the distraction seemed to make him happier. I was just happy to be able to watch Mean Girls with someone who hadn't.

We ate popcorn and ice cream, and just enjoyed ourselves...


	22. No Help

Klaus had insisted that I get up at a slightly normal time this morning, and even sat on me until I pushed him away. By slightly normal he meant seven in the morning, which was way too early. I had planned to wake up at ten, instead of midday.

I was standing in the parlour, drinking my miseries away, when Elena entered. I scowled at her, and for once she made a smart decision; walking past me without saying a word. Getting up early had made my bad mood even worse.

It wasn't even midday yet, but I was drinking. If I were human, I would be drunk by now, but my stupid vampire body wasn't a fan of me getting drunk. Last time I broke into the Smithsonian's Air and Space museum, although I could've compelled my way in and not set off alarms.

To be fair, I was dared to enter the museum at night by a vampire friend named Jack. He runs London's vampire community because I left it to him, but he was in America for a holiday, so we decided to meet up. It was a fun few weeks, but something went down in London and he had to leave.

Now I was trying to get drunk, but not that drunk. I'm aiming for a buzz, not being sulky or getting to the point I was at when I broke into the Smithsonian. That will always be a shameful memory. I didn't even compel the guards when they caught me, I just let them take me in and giggled.

Seeing how that was a few hours ago and Elena hasn't come back, I assumed she was over whatever she was whining about. Of course, I wouldn't know for sure because I really don't care. I hope Stefan falls out of love with her so I can apologize to him.

My phone began to ring, so I answered it. "Hello Sheriff."

 _"Thalia, do you know anything about different kinds of magic?"_ Liz Forbes asked me. _"Mayor Hopkins wants to know, and Caroline suggested that you might know something."_

"Of course I do," I said. "Where do I meet him?"

 _"Meet us at the Grill."_

Liz hung up before I could, so I slid my phone into pocket. Then I picked up my leather jacket, slid it on, and went to get my car keys, which were in my room. While there, I slid on a pair of combat boots, as I wasn't wearing any shoes.

I walked back down the stairs, where I found Rebekah and Kol. Kol had a white oak stake pointing at Rebekah's heart, and she was holding a white oak ash dagger. Knowing that they wouldn't care if they hurt the other sibling, I pulled Kol away from Rebekah.

"Enough!" I snapped, as Klaus walked into the room. "Look at us! You were both willing to harm each other!"

I let go of Kol and he ran out. Before Rebekah could whine or snap at me, I walked out of the house. I have places to be and things to do, but breaking up a fight between Rebekah and Kol wasn't something I was meant to do today.

When I got to my car, I forgot to unlock it and quietly cursed. I unlocked it, got in, and then sped off as soon as I started the car. Seeing how this is a small town, I assumed they were big on the whole thing to do with wearing your seat belt.

Driving to the Grill was relatively peaceful, as there was no traffic for once. For such a small town, there is certainly a lot of traffic. It's actually ridiculous. You would think they would build new roads, instead of forcing us all to stay on one road that goes all through town, with small roads leading off of it.

I parked my car out front of the Grill, locked it, and then strolled inside. Honestly, I had no clue who this new mayor was, but as long as he wasn't going to shoot me, I was fine. It's happened before, and it's never fun.

Liz was sitting at a table towards the back, with a man who looked like he could be Bonnie Bennett's dad. In fact, I think the mayor is her dad, which must be crap for her and all her friends. If they get into any trouble, he'll know and be pissed as hell.

Sitting down across from them both, I looked around. They had purposely chosen a spot with no one around, so I assumed whatever they wanted to talk about was pretty serious. Well, being asked to talk to the mayor and sheriff is pretty serious too, but not as serious.

"You must be Thalia Ashwood," the new mayor stated. "I'm Rudy Hopkins. I don't know what a vampire would know about witches magic, but Caroline suggested you. Apparently you're the nicest Original."

"Everyone thinks that, but they've not given me reason to be mean," I said, shrugging. "I don't see why you would want to talk to me, so it would be appreciated if you explained why I am here."

"Bonnie lost control of her magic," Rudy explained. "She's using a form called Expression."

I tried to hide my worry and surprise. Expression is one of the most dangerous forms of magic. It can be controlled, but not easily. If you ever lose control while using it, you become a ticking time-bomb. I know this because I used to be able to use it too.

"She needs to have someone help her control it," I told them, honestly. "I used to be able to use it when I was young, but I had to give up magic for a while. Maybe you should talk to her about using normal spells."

"Is there anyone who could teach her?" Rudy asked, hopefully.

"The creep that convinced Pastor Young to blow up the town council might." I shrugged. "I wouldn't trust him though. Anyone that wants to wake up Silas is at least half-crazy. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have somewhere else to be."

I didn't have anywhere else to be, but the fact that Liz and Rudy were listening so intently sort of freaked me out. What if they took my word for everything? That would be a catastrophe. I am not the person you should take advice from.

It was a new morning and Klaus had woken me up early again. I'd thrown a book at him, but it was just paperback, so even if he hadn't of caught it, it wouldn't of hurt that much. He had then walked out and told me to meet him in the parlour.

Grumbling, I got dressed into my usual attire of black skinny jeans, a blood red shirt, a black leather jacket and black combat boots. I'm not really a fan of normal pants or shorts, so that leaves jeans, and leather jackets make me feel happy. It's weird, but at least I feel good wearing what I wear.

My rings were sitting on my bed-side table, as Klaus had gotten a hybrid to install block-out blinds in my room, when they were still all alive. I slid them both on, opened the blinds and window, then went to see what Klaus wanted.

The immortal asshole was sitting on a chair in his personal parlour. He had gotten his own, since it was only the two of us living here and we had more rooms than we knew what to do with. Klaus was even going to knock down a wall to build a library because we had that much space.

"Damon Salvatore needs to be babysat, so you and I are going to do it," Klaus stated, clearly not giving me a choice. "I know you planned to spend time with your darling Kol, but he's gone crazy and has the white oak stake. You are of value to me, and are my friend, so I feel like I need to keep you safe."

"Kol is my best friend," I reminded Klaus. "If anyone can get that stake from him, it's me. Just let me talk to him. If he turns murderous, I'll snap his neck or something."

"He has my daggers," Klaus warned, walking away. "Just so you know, I went through your messages with Kol, just in case. Don't die, love."

Klaus left, so I pulled out my phone and texted Kol, telling him it was safe to come over. After he almost killed Rebekah last night, I figured that one of us had to get that stake from him. Seeing how Klaus had come to loathe Kol, and Rebekah almost got staked by him, I assumed that left me to sort this out.

I had moved two armchairs into the parlour, so I could sit and drink. If Klaus had've thought about how his house was set out, he would understand that we don't need this many rooms. The Originals don't have the best track record for staying together.

There was a half-empty bottle of bourbon across the room, and I wanted to try out the whole shadow thing. The curtains were open, but it shouldn't really matter. I focused on reaching out for the drink, then forming a fist around it. I lifted the bottle up maybe two centimetres before dropping it.

An over-dramatic sigh left my lips as I stood up and walked over to get myself a full bottle of bourbon. I also got a glass, just in case Kol wanted something to drink when he arrived. I set the glass on the table and began to drink.

"Glad to see you haven't changed," Kol said, appearing beside me and almost frightening me.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" I asked, annoyed. "It's this thing people do when they go to visit a person's home."

Kol scoffed, took the bottle of bourbon, and poured himself a glass. He gave it back after taking a swig. I smirked and drunk a bit myself. He sat across from me and looked around the room. It had no paintings or anything of that sort. It used to just have windows and a cabinet before I put a coffee table and a few chairs in.

"You never were one for decorating," Kol noted. "So, why am I here? Klaus isn't going to appear out of nowhere and stab me with Rebekah's dagger, is he?"

"Klaus isn't home," I stated. "Not exactly the best choice I've made, but not the worst. You see, everyone has an upper-hand, apart from me. Klaus is a hybrid, Rebekah's got a dagger, Elijah's long gone, and you have the rest of the daggers and white oak stake."

"Aren't you meant to have all that shadow magic?" Kol questioned, suspiciously.

"I can't even pick up a bottle of bourbon with it. It's been one thousand years, and it might take half that time to be able to re-connect with my magic."

I was lying, but I didn't know if Kol knew that. He just laughed, and that meant he didn't believe me. I sipped at the bourbon and just looked outside, at the garden. The parlour was a nice place to come in the middle of the day when the sun was fully on the garden.

"Don't lie to me, Thals. You used those shadows to get the dagger out of your back when Finn stabbed you. It's not as if you even need an upper-hand. I remember when you kicked Mikael's ass when you were human. Imagine what you could do now."

"I'm not a trained to do that stuff anymore. Sure, I'm strong, but maybe not that strong."

"What is it that you really want?"

Kol's eyes didn't leave me as I sat there, refusing to speak. I had a swig of bourbon, then sighed and kicked my legs over the arm of the chair. I didn't have to answer Kol unless I wanted to, and he knew that too.

We sat in an incredibly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. I was going to be the one to break the silence, and I knew it because Kol wouldn't ask the question again, but he wouldn't let me forget it. So, I was going to pretend to think about it.

"I want to know that we're all safe," I decided, after five minutes of silence. "Keeping the white oak stake on you might cause problems, but where else can you put it? I can keep it safe, and you know I won't give it to anyone or use it. Same with the daggers. There's a safe in the room that connects to mine, so we can put them in there. Only I know the code, so it'll be safe."

"Show me they way."

I swung my legs around to face the front, and then I got up. Kol followed me through the hallway, up the stairs, and all the way to my room. If it weren't for my good memory, I would get lost in this place all of the time. I'm pretty sure there's rooms I haven't even seen yet.

Kol and I walked into my room and I went over to the door which would lead us down the hallway and into my spare room. He clearly noticed that there was no lock on the side of the door we were on, but that doesn't mean there's no lock. It's just on the other side.

Shadow crept up the door and through the lock. I heard something click, so I retracted the shadows and opened the door. We had to walk through a relatively short hallway before reaching the next door. I had to unlock it the same way I did the last, but it wasn't an issue.

We walked into the room that served as both a library and a music room. There was a grand piano in the far corner and a guitar rack with an electric, an acoustic, and a bass guitar on it. Then there was a recliner and two large bookshelves that were almost full.

There was a wall with photos on it. Since cameras were invented, I've taken photos with people and kept all of them. They're all on my wall, with fairy lights bordering that one specific wall. Then there's the blank wall, because it has the door and safe on it.

I went to the safe and let Kol look around the room. I've not put all the pictures up yet, so it covers most of the wall, but there's still about fifty photos to put up. Klaus let me put a chandelier in, and there's a lamp next to the recliner.

"This is a nice room," Kol stated, as I pulled the safe doors open, as there's the main one and then a second one. "You have a lot of photos. They're all from the late 1800s on."

"Yeah, it was easier to keep those photos," I muttered. "You can put the stake and daggers in now."

Kol walked over and reached into his jacket. Hesitantly, he pulled out the first dagger. It glinted from the light, and he put it in. He then put the other three in. Rebekah had the fifth and final dagger, meaning she's the only one who can dagger Klaus.

"Promise me that you won't tell Klaus that I've got his daggers," Kol insisted.

"I promise," I said. "Maybe you should put the stake in here too. If you go up against Elena and any of her friends, they'll do whatever it takes to kill you. I swear I won't touch it." There was no answer. "Kol, please."

He just shook his head. I looked down at the floor and bit my lip. This meant that Elena and her brother, who is now a hunter, could kill him.

I felt fingertips on my chin as Kol tilted my head up to look at him. There was fear in his eyes, and I knew that it was because of Silas. Only a fool wouldn't fear him, although the more recent generations don't know who or what to fear because of the kind of world we now live in.

"I'm an Original, Thals," he reminded me. "I'll be fine. This weapon is my upper-hand." Kol pulled me into a hug. "When I cut off Jeremy Gilbert's arms, you and I can drink until you break into somewhere and forget that you have heightened speed and can compel the guards."

"Why are your hugs so warm?" I asked, burying my head in his chest. "Like, you're a murderous asshat who gives really warm, welcoming hugs. It doesn't add up."

Kol chuckled, kissed me on the forehead, and then he was gone. I sighed and bit my lip, worried about the sanity of my best friend. His decision-making isn't very good right now. I just hope that the stupid doppelgänger wench and her friends don't try anything.

I'd just gotten a really odd text from Kol. He practically begged me to get to the Gilbert House as soon as I could. Just as I warned him they might; Elena and Jeremy Gilbert were planning to kill him tonight.

I decided that taking my car would take too long, so I used my heightened speed. I ran as fast as I could manage, which is faster than I thought. Maybe it was because I was worried and I was pushing myself to move faster.

As I arrived at the Gilbert House, I almost ran into Klaus. He looked concerned as we both ran to the front door. I was out of breath for some reason, although I don't need to breathe. When we reached the door, I saw Jeremy catch the white oak stake.

I saw the stake plunge through Kol's chest and into his heart. A pathetic whimper left my lips as I saw Kol catch on fire. He was screaming and he staggered through the kitchen. Tears began to pool in my eyes as he fell to the floor; dead.

"What did you do?" Kol asked, as I covered my mouth and almost fell to my knees.

"We didn't have a choice," Elena lied. "He was trying to cut off Jeremy's arm."

"Lies!" I yelled, punching the barrier. "He never would've gotten inside if you hadn't set a trap for him!"

"Klaus said he was going to put him down too."

I turned to look at Klaus, and my lip was trembling. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I felt my heart hurting in my chest.

"I was going to make him suffer on my terms!" Klaus snapped. "I'm going to burn this stupid house to the ground! Then, when you try to flee for your lives, I'll kill you both without blinking."

"You kill us, you'll never get the cure," Jeremy pointed out, thinking Klaus really cared about the cure. "You'll never be able to make any more hybrids."

I tuned out of the conversation as my eyes flicked over Kol's body and then were drawn back to it. His face was contorted in an eternal scream, and he was all grey and veiny. My best friend, who I hugged the last time I saw him, was now laying dead on the floor of the people he was trying to kill.

"Come in," I heard Jeremy say.

Both Klaus and I fell forward and Bonnie immobilized us by using her witchy spells. Bonnie, Jeremy, and Elena all ran into the kitchen. I followed them, determined to get revenge for Kol, but I ran into a barrier before I reached the kitchen.

I screamed in frustration and fury, as Klaus pounded on the barrier. Jeremy pulled the white oak stake out of Klaus, then he and Elena stood by the door. Tears were still running down my face, but I knew it looked as if I were going to kill someone.

"Witch, you can't do this to me," Klaus insisted.

"You have no idea what I can do now," Bonnie replied.

"You don't know what I can do either," I pointed out, a sadistic grin on my face.

Shadows crept up around Elena, and she began to scream. They cut Jeremy's chest, but it wasn't doing anything because he was still living. He let out a little yell as I pushed the shadows into his body and then yanked them out.

"Stop!" Bonnie commanded, using her magic to give me a headache.

My bones began to break and I fell to the ground, but the pain didn't stop me. The pain made Elena's suffering worse, as she fell to the ground and began to writhe in pain. I laughed at her, and let a grin stay on my face.

"I'm going to hunt you to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes!" I threatened, feeling waves of dark power rush through me. "I will capture you all and let these two watch as I kill the rest of your friends! You messed with the wrong Original."

Bonnie froze and watched in horror as Elena began to rise from the ground, as if she was on a spear that was being raised in the air. My bones began to crack again, and I didn't give up until my neck was twisted to the side and I heard a sickening crack.

Darkness washed over me and everything went black...


	23. Prisoner

I was going to kill someone. After crying all night, I've decided that Kol would've wanted me to let Elena and all of her friends run, then hunt them down for sport. He would've done that, but he can't because they _killed_ him.

If they do actually get that stupid cure, it'll be even better because they'll all be human, or so they think. I have a suspicion that there's only one dose of the cure, and the whiny doppelgänger will get it. Even if there's more, they'll all be human and I can drain them of blood, which will be even more fun.

Kol's burned body was directly across from me. In between sobs, I've been trying to use shadows to get the table cloth off the table and place it over Kol's body. It's safe to say that this barrier is making it very difficult, and it just isn't working.

Now that my mind is somewhat clear, I'm trying to use the stupid shadows to open a cupboard, so I can look for alcohol. My phone is also across the room, so I'm trying to open a cupboard before I even try to pick it up. If my phone smashes, we're not going to be able to call for help.

Well, I'm not going to be able to call for help. Klaus hasn't spoken to me even once. All he's done is yell about how he's going to kill them all and then stare at the body of the brother he doesn't truly care for. I can't recall a time where Klaus would pick Kol over his other siblings, unless Finn was the other option.

Finally, the shadows managed to grab the cupboard door and pull it open. I smiled to myself, and then I spotted gin. It's nowhere near my favourite, but it's alcohol and I wouldn't mind getting drunk right now. That, and it's a good second test.

Easily, I was able to pull the gin off the shelf, where it was slowly lowered to the floor. From there, it was pulled around the sunlight, and over to where I was sitting. I muttered 'yes' before opening the bottle, then drinking some.

"You planning to share that, love?" Klaus asked.

"I got it myself and it's tiring, so no," I said, taking a swig and setting the bottle back down. "Now let's all hope that I can get my phone before any of Elena's friends show up. Then I can call a warlock and get out of here. Now, shut up and let me focus."

Klaus did as I told him to. My phone had fallen out of my pocket when Bonnie had worked her magic, but it isn't smashed. I don't know what I would've done if my phone were smashed or broken. Probably cry because it would mean I'd have to fix it and I wouldn't be able to get out of here.

My phone was just next to the sun, so I focused on forming shadows around it. They came through the ground like zombies do in stereo-typical zombie movies, where their hands push through the ground. That sort of thing is really cheesy now, but it was seen as scary back when it was what we all expected.

The shadows gently encased my phone and it began to slide towards me. As soon as I got it through the barrier, the front door open. I picked up my phone and then got to my feet and wedged it between two of the cushions on the couch.

It was Tyler who walked in, and he noticed that there was a bottle of gin on the floor through the barrier and that a cupboard was open. I silently cursed myself and sat back on the ground. Knowing it was too late to act like it wasn't me, I picked up the bottle of gin and drunk about a quarter of it in one go.

"Morning, sunshines," Tyler greeted. "You two look pathetic."

"Only until Bonnie's spell locking me in here wears off," Klaus said, threateningly. "Then I'll look quite a bit different. Angrier, perhaps. Or I won't look like anything because I'll have gouged your eyeballs from their sockets."

If I weren't even more pissed than Klaus, I wouldn't commented on how lovely this conversation was for such an early time in the morning. Honestly, I was considering breaking the lamp and then impaling Tyler with it. Just for fun.

"My friends will be back with the cure by then," Tyler insisted. "So, I could shove it down your throat and make you mortal, Klaus."

"I'm an Original," Klaus reminded him. "What makes you think my entire bloodline won't be cured along with me?"

It doesn't work like that, but I'm not going to point it out. That's for the other two to discuss, as this will be my source of entertainment until Tyler leaves and I can call someone to get us out of here. I'm thinking that Will might be more willing to help then the witch I know.

"You know what I think?" Tyler asked, even though he was going to tell us even if we knew what he was thinking. "I think that it's impossible. I think the moment that you stop being a vampire, our whole blood connection to you is broken, and your sire-line ceases to exist. So, whatever happens to you, happens only to you, which means I can kill your ass and no one else has to die. Although, I am still debating just how to do it."

Klaus, being the idiot he is, tried to run at Tyler, just to slam into the barrier. I snickered, but covered it with sipping the bottle of gin. They were my only entertainment right now, but the sooner Tyler leaves the better.

"I recommend drowning," Klaus taunted. "There's nothing quite like the feeling of someone fighting for something as basic as human breath, and let me tell you, your mother was a fighter."

My phone began to ring, and I swore loudly. I'd forgotten to put it on silence, which was an idiotic move on my part. Klaus and Tyler both stared at me, knowing it was my phone because I'd sworn so loudly. Thankfully, I'd gotten it back or Tyler would've smashed it.

I got to my feet and walked over to my phone. An old friend of mine, Jack, was calling me. He was the one who was with me when I broke into the Smithsonian because I was so drunk. Normally he doesn't call unless it's important, so I answered.

" _Thalia, please tell me you're still in America,_ " Jack begged, his English accent very clear.

"Of course I am," I said, calmly. "What's wrong?"

" _I'll have to explain it when I next see you,_ " He told me. " _Listen, I've got to go. I tracked you to Virginia, but I don't know who to ask about you here. Text me your address and I'll be there. I need somewhere to hide and you're the only one I know outside of the UK._ "

Jack hung up, so I texted him the address to Elena's house. Tyler and Klaus were both watching me, as I ran a hand through my hair and put my head between my knees. Now one of my best friends are dead and another was forced from London and is probably in danger right now.

Both of them had listened to my phone call. Klaus was scowling because he hated Jack because of the simple fact I refused to leave London's vampire community to Klaus. After a while, Mikael would've run him out, and keeping Jack in charge made it a lot safer there.

Hopefully he gets here before Elena makes it to that island she needs to go to. Something tells me that her and Jeremy aren't going to have any cell reception.

There was a knock on the door, which Tyler opened as I called Jeremy. Jack wouldn't be able to get into the house without permission, and we require Jeremy Gilbert for that. If I were free, Jack wouldn't even have to come here.

Tyler walked back in and nodded at me. Jack called out for me as the phone began to ring. Thankfully, Jeremy still had cell reception, so he answered his phone. Klaus was still sulking, but he wasn't being rude right now.

" _Thalia, what do you want?"_ Jeremy asked, impatiently.

"Listen, you owe me because you killed Kol and he was my best friend, and I've not actually tried to kill you yet," I said, coldly. "My friend Jack is on the run. He's come from London to stay safe here, and I need you to invite him into your house. Believe me, he didn't know Kol, so there won't be any issues with him."

" _Yeah, no,_ " Jeremy decided.

"Jeremy, just let the guy in," Tyler insisted. "He doesn't seem harmful, and anyone willing to come from London to America is clearly in trouble."

" _Fine,_ " Jeremy agreed.

I hung up before he could say anything more. That was when I heard two sets of footsteps as Caroline entered with Jack, who didn't pay her much attention. He just saw Klaus and I sitting in the living room and smiled a smile so nice that it could make almost everyone swoon.

Jack was handsome, and you couldn't deny it. He had pale skin, green eyes that looked like blades of grass in the sun after it rains, and brown hair that he recently began to style so it was in a quiff. He had high cheekbones, a small, straight nose, and he was muscular.

For once, Jack was wearing casual clothes. He was wearing black jeans, a red shirt, a leather jacket, and a beanie. His shaggy hair, which usually fell in front of his face, was pushed back because of it. He looked rather handsome right now, but I do prefer him in suits.

He was openly checking out Tyler, who seemed rather uncomfortable. I laughed and got to my feet, in order to properly greet my friend. Jack's eyes fell to Kol's body, and his jaw clenched. Despite what I'd told Jeremy, he and Kol actually were quite good friends. Not as close as Kol and I had been, but still pretty close.

"Hey Thals," he greeted, stepping through the barrier to hug me. "I see that this place isn't the place to come if you're trying to stay alive." He laughed bitterly. "Who did it?"

"The same guy who owns this place," I told him, looking at Kol's body and feeling tears well in my eyes. "He and his sister, the newest doppel-bitch, set a trap for Kol and they killed him. Tyler and Caroline are their friends."

Jack pulled out of the hug, but kept his arm around my shoulder. He glared at both Caroline and Tyler, which seemed to make the last hybrid minion more uncomfortable then it did when Jack checked him out. I knew what it was like to be glared at by Jack though, and it's uncomfortable. His green eyes seem to go as grey-green as the sea during a storm.

Seeing how Jack and I had been friends for so long, he already knew that I planned to hunt these two for sport, as well as Elena and everyone else. He would be fully willing to help, but first I was curious as to why he was here, as well as a little worried.

He and I sat down on the couch, as Klaus, Caroline and Tyler began to speak. The cloth from the dining table was placed over Kol's body, and for some reason, that made it worse. Maybe because Kol's body was called a 'horrific burnt corpse' by Caroline.

"What brings you to Mystic Falls?" I asked.

"I got driven out of London," Jack told me, his voice a mix of sadness and anger. "I've run that place for five hundred years, but the wolves and witches wanted more power. One of the vampires I trusted and turned myself joined and leads them now. Do you remember Kale?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, remembering him from when I ran London for about 150 years. "He seemed really nice. Did he send someone to kill you?"

"Of course he did." Jack laughed bitterly. "This guy's older than I am. Klaus was the one who turned this guy, back in Italy. He claims he was turned in 1114."

We were living near the Brotherhood of the Five for that entire year, as we had heard about them the previous year and decided to see what all the fuss was about. It was 1115 when they stabbed most of us with the daggers, and if my memory serves me right, Klaus only turned one person into a vampire.

This guy had been dangerous as a human, and I mean _really_ dangerous. Klaus didn't know it, but the guy was a murderer and not a trained one. When I was trained to kill, those who used brute strength were taught to make it look like an accident, so it wasn't one of the newer trainees.

I had met him once, and had been caught off-guard. He grabbed my dress and ripped it at the chest. Instead of killing him, I pushed him away and ran. Then I kept tabs on him, and he had ripped those he killed apart. He killed them by gutting them, then tore off their limbs and finally their heads, which he took as trophies.

"Be very careful," I insisted. "He's dangerous. Even by my standards. Listen, I'll write down where you need to go and how to get to the specific room you need to be in. This guy may have followed you here, and I don't particularly feel like being burned alive. It's never fun."

Suddenly, Klaus picked up the lamp, ran at the barrier, and thrusted it forward. It impaled Caroline, who was swung around to our side of the barrier. He then bit her neck and pushed her back over to Tyler, who was furious.

"Now, that was definitely worth the calories," Klaus stated.

"That was stupid," I told Klaus, honestly. "If she dies, you're going to sulk even more, but if you save her, you're going to look pathetic and weak. You should really think about the consequences next time."

"Well, maybe I should kill the warlock you fancy!" Klaus snapped. "We all know you would be angry for a while before begging me to sleep with you!"

Suddenly, Klaus dropped to his knees and clutched his head. He got back to his feet and shook it off as Will walked in. I handed Jack the piece of paper and he left, without saying anything. He was probably shocked by Klaus.

Klaus ran at Will, but hit the barrier. No one else knew that I had texted Will to tell him where I was and that I needed help, but that was the point. If anyone else knew, they would probably have try to stop him and I can't have that.

There was obvious tension between Will and Klaus. You could actually feel the tension in the air. It was ridiculous, but also sort of amusing. They both wanted to attack each other, but they can't because Will would end up dead or I would kick both their asses.

Thankfully, after greeting me, Will got to work. I placed my hand against the barrier so he knew where it was. He touched it himself and seemed to be confused. Klaus turned away and began to sulk, as I told him he would do.

"Who cast this and how?" Will asked.

"Bonnie Bennett, and she's using Expression," I stated, bitterly.

"So, you just expect me to know what Expression is," Will muttered, reaching into his bag and pulling out an old grimoire. "I'm not as old as you, Ashwood."

"It's the most dangerous kind of magic there is. You use spells to stay in control, right? Well, this is really different. She just thinks about something and it happens. Sometimes, if you don't stay focused, it gets out of control and you can harm people and blow things up without realizing it. She doesn't know how to control it. Only the creepy professor does."

Will seemed disturbed by this, and even more disturbed by something he found in the old grimoire. He turned it to face me and I saw that it explained Expression. It explained everything I had not, so I turned it back around with the shadows.

He was surprised by that, but if I could do anything more then I would be out of here by now. My new favourite warlock began to try and find a spell to undo the barrier. The sooner I'm out of here the better.

"I can take the barriers down for ten seconds, but it stops all magic, including your rings," Will explained.

"Do it," Klaus and I said at the same time.

Klaus turned back around and I made eye-contact with Will. It was clear that he was only here to free me, and he knew it would be suspicious if Klaus was gone too. There was only one thing I could do now.

As Will began chanting, I got to my feet. I knew the spell, as I've had a witch perform it before, so I knew it was almost done. Slowly, I crept up behind Klaus and as he turned to face me, I snapped his neck.

Will stopped chanting, so I rushed out of the house all together, and went to the front porch. Thankfully there was shade, or I would go up in flames and it really isn't a nice sensation. It kinda hurts, actually.

"Thanks for that," I said, as Will joined me. "Listen, Klaus is going to be furious and I need a place to lay low. My friend Jack is also being hunted and he needs to hide too. I was wondering if we could all go to your place, after getting the stuff from mine."

"Yeah, sure," Will agreed. "The house is in my name and because there's no events on, only those I invite in can get in."

"Let's go before You Know Who wakes up."

We both left the house, seeing how my rings were working again, and headed for Klaus'. Hopefully Jack and Will can get along and that vampire actually shows his face so I can kill him.


	24. I Live For Drama

For the past two days, I have been staying in the Lockwood Mansion with Jack and Will. They became good friends, which will be helpful when that vampire hunter finally shows his face. Jack doesn't know where he is, but I do.

This guy is waiting for one of us to leave. I've felt him watching us all, but I've not faced any of the many windows in this house, so he doesn't know I'm here. He knows that there is a woman here, but he does not know the age for sure, or who I am.

Kale, the vampire who is hunting us, is better at the killing and tracking part then the hiding and being sneaky, which is key when you track other vampires. Will has been learning new spells just in case, so Jack and I were with him. If I knew what mistake he made, I would help him correct it.

I had also been learning new tricks that my shadows can do. It turns out that one of Will's ancestors was like me, but they did not have much power, and actually based it off what I could once do by asking my siblings about it. Then he came up with things, and wrote the grimoire.

When I control my power even more, I should be able to send shadows across the ground to find where people are. There is also a way that I can make myself invisible in the dark, and take control of people's bodies. Then there is everything else I have done.

We had just finished a game of monopoly, and I had won. Jack had come second, and Will was sulking. This game requires strategy and cunning, of which I have both. I've run a few cities for a while, and we all know that Jack ran London, so we weren't getting beat.

There was a knock on the door, so we all froze. I knew this was Kale, the vampire hunter, so I got to my feet and gestured for Will to rise to. He joined me and we stood there, unsure of what to do. There was another knock, and panic flashed through Jack's eyes.

"I've got it!" I yelled, as if Will and Jack weren't in the room.

I used my heightened speed to get to the door, while Will slowly walked my way. Quickly, I sorted out my hair, smiled my most welcoming smile, and then opened the door. As I had expected, Kale was not looking pleased. My smile dropped as we stared at each other.

"What do you want?" I asked, coldly.

"Jack," He said.

Suddenly, Kale tried to stab me with a metal pole. I dodged it, grabbed one end, and then thrusted my arm up, while still holding onto the pole. It knocked Kale in the face and he let go, so I pulled it, spun it, and then stabbed him in the chest with it, where his heart would be if it were on the other side.

Deciding that I was safe, I stepped out of the house. That was a mistake, as Kale had a sword on him and stabbed me with it, barely missing my heart. I stumbled to the side as he pushed me that way, and he pulled the pole out of his chest.

Growling lowly, I pulled the sword out of my chest as Kale swung the pole at me. I hissed while I rolled over, and then I forced myself to my feet. I need a clear mind to use my shadows, and I am barely able to stand without getting hit by the pole, which keeps being swung at me.

"Thalia!" Will called out.

Kale turned and rushed at Will, who managed to stop him using his magic to give the vampire a severe headache. However, as I paused to heal, Kale shook it off and ran at Will. He punched him three times, then he kicked Will back a few metres, which is a far way to go for a human.

"Come on, Ashwood!" Kale yelled. "You'll never get to me in time! Give me Jack and your friend can go and live his life!"

"You've said that before," I reminded him, feeling my strength come back, and my anger intensify. "You killed him. You killed one of the few men I loved. See, I know it was you who killed the werewolf I fell in love with when I was human. It wasn't you who Klaus turned, it was one of your descendants, and you killed him. You killed Dustin!"

Dustin had been the man I loved when I was human, and I was lying, but it was confusing Kale. This confusion would easily give me enough time to strike. I would use this confusion, of course, but I was just trying to make sure Will was safe first.

Kale regained his senses as shadows rose from the ground and wrapped around him. He screamed and fought them as I walked forward, but it wouldn't work. I laughed, feeling waves of anger and cruelty run through me.

I knew I had to control the darkness that swept through me, but I couldn't. This darkness is a hell of a lot stronger then it used to be when I was human, and getting all that power back in one go is clearly a bad move.

When I was close enough, I pushed through the shadows and gripped his neck, lifting him off his feet. I forced the shadows away and felt myself calm down a little bit. Then I reached into his chest and Kale screamed right in my ear. That was why I pulled his heart out.

Both the body and the heart dropped to the ground. I wiped the blood off my hand, onto the grass, and then went to check on Will. Jack rushed out of the house and got to our friend's side before I did. I was just hoping that Will wasn't too badly injured.

"Are you alright?" I asked, crouching down.

"I have a broken rib or two," Will muttered, sounding hurt. "Oh, and my nose is bleeding because that's broken too. A miracle cure for illness would be great right now."

Sighing, I bit into my wrist and drew blood. I held my wrist out for Will, who went to sit up to drink it. Just because I felt like I should be nice after that attack, I moved behind Will and held him up. He drunk a bit of my blood, and even managed to stop himself.

After about a minute, he was healed and was able to stand up. I got to my feet as well, and looked over at Jack, who had just moved Kale's body somewhere. I hoped that he buried it, but I can't be sure, as it would take a lot longer than that, unless the grave was ready.

"It's good that he didn't kill you," Jack told Will. "I should really get going, but thank you. Maybe I can go to New Orleans or somewhere."

Before anything more could be said, Jack used his heightened speed to run off. Will muttered a curse under his breath before walking inside. I fixed up my hair before following him.

Will and I were watching Supernatural while eating cookies and cream ice cream. He only had one tub, so I hesitantly agreed to share it with him. It turns out that we both like the show, so we decided that we should marathon it from season one.

My phone started to ring just before the next episode could begin. I groaned and reached for it. There was no caller ID and I considered not answering the phone, but then I decided that it couldn't hurt. I put the phone on speaker, so Will could hear, seeing how he had to pause the episode for me.

" _Thalia, do you want to come to Kol's funeral?_ " Klaus asked me, anger in his voice. " _I would deny you the right, but he was your best friend. It's starting as soon as you get here. Your_ friend _can come to._ "

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I agreed, then hung up. "So, Will, do you feel like coming to a funeral for my best friend?"

"Why not?" He agreed. "We'll meet by the front door."

We both went to our rooms, and I went through my suitcase of clothes. I only had one dress with me, but it was black so it was suitable. However, I do remember seducing someone in this, so maybe it isn't the best thing to wear. It's short and tight, and has cut outs on the side and shows a lot of cleavage. Oh well.

I matched the dress with a pair of five inch heels that made my legs look slimmer, and then I curled my hair as quickly as I could. From there, I made sure my rings were on, and then went back down to the front door.

Will was there, wearing tight, black skinny jeans and a plain black shirt that showed off muscles I hadn't noticed he had. His shaggy black hair was sort of styled, and his blue eyes looked purple in the light of dusk. He put on his black leather jacket and grinned at me.

His eyes ran up and down my body, and he didn't show any shame in checking me out. Our eyes met and he refused to look away. A small smile tugged at his lips as he crossed the room to stand in front of me in two long strides.

I'm only five foot seven, and Will is about five foot eleven, so he's clearly taller then me. He had to reach down to wrap an arm around my waist, but once he did, he pulled me close to him. Will smelt of some nice cologne or something, but the scent was intoxicating.

"You look like you're going to seduce someone, but we're going to a funeral," Will said, as he led me out of the house.

"Why can't I do both?" I asked, annoyed. "You're dressed to kick someone's ass, but I didn't point that out."

Will shut up as we reached my car. I unlocked it and we both got in. His eyes were on me as I drove off, not bothering with the seatbelt. I'm immortal and you can't kill me without the white oak stake, so I'm not going to die in a car crash because I didn't wear my seatbelt. Sometimes it makes things worse if you crash anyway.

He was clearly feeling brave today, as he reached across and placed his hand on my thigh, his fingers facing inwards. I was surprised, but I was even more surprised by the fact that I didn't want him to move his hand away. Normally I would demand he move his hand away, but I liked the tingles it sent up my leg.

It's not like I hadn't noticed that Will is handsome before, because I have. I just didn't realize that I was attracted to him enough to let him touch my thigh and feel tingles. Never before have I had that reaction so I assume it is attraction.

Now that I think about it, I rarely ever look to see what someone is wearing, even if it is for an important event. I only check them out so openly if I feel a strong attraction to them or plan to seduce them. I don't plan to seduce Will, so goddamn it, I have feelings for him!

I groaned really loudly, and not the hot kind of groan. I held an 'ugh' like sound for about ten seconds. Will just laughed, especially since we had just arrived at Klaus' and he was waiting out the front for me. I snickered myself, but then remembered my issue. Why do I have to feel?!

We got out of the car and Klaus openly scowled at Will, who just smirked back. Despite being bullied at school, Will shows confidence around vampires, and it really does amaze me. I mean, vampires are worse people then bullies, and that's really saying something.

"The funeral is really just a few sentences and maybe some fake crying," Klaus told me, coldly. "I only decided to hold it because Kol will kick my ass if he comes back and didn't have an actual funeral. We aren't burying his body, so don't ask where it is."

"Let's go string together some sad sentences and then get drunk," I agreed, clasping my hands in a way that made it look like I was high-fiving myself. "Maybe I'll choke on tears and bourbon and pass out, like last time I went to a funeral for a dead friend."

Klaus laughed and Will gave me a questioning look. I took Will's hand and led around the house, and towards the garden. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. Normally I would giggle, but because of my stupid feelings, I blushed.

There was a coffin in the garden, and one half of it was open. I walked over to it and then looked into the coffin. Kol's charred, dead body was laying there and I could feel a knot in my throat. I forced it down and then turned away.

Will let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist, as he knew that I needed comfort. I then rested my head on his shoulder and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill. My eyes stung, but I would not cry.

"For Kol," Klaus said, holding up a bottle of wine. "You always were a little brat, but you're a Mikaelson."

I scowled at Klaus after he placed the wine in Kol's coffin and turned to smirk at me. He had seemed to be deeply affected by his brother's death, but it was probably all an act. Maybe it was because he really thought that I would help him escape Bonnie's boundary spell.

Thankfully, Will let go of me before I had to ask. I walked forward and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to relax myself. Then I turned so Klaus and Will could see me, and I could still see Kol's body. If he hadn't of burned, then he would look peaceful.

"You died on me, Kol," I stated. "You promised me that you would stay safe, but that didn't even last the whole day. I don't know what I'm going to do without my best friend. I trusted him with all my secrets and he knows things about me that no one else does. It is fair to say that I will miss Kol and that the place of my very best friend will never be replaced or removed."

Reaching into the case of my phone, I pulled out the photo I kept of Kol and I. I dropped the photo into his coffin and then turned away. Misery is something you dwell on when you are drunk, not when you are sober and can remember everything.

"Do you want to stay or come back to my house?" Will asked me, taking my hand once more.

"We should stay for a while," I told him, leading him inside.

Will followed me all the way up to my room. I was surprised that he wasn't tired after walking through all of the halls and then up the stairs. I asked Klaus if we could get one of those chairs that old people use to take them up and down the stairs, but he said no because apparently vampires should be show off their fitness.

If I could still get fat, I would be the world's fattest vampire. I spend my days in bed, watching movies while eating nutella out of the jar and ice cream out of the tub. Sometimes I get pizza delivered and that means I leave my room for about five minutes.

We entered my room and Will looked around. He let go of my hand as I locked my door. Almost as soon as I sat on my bed, he joined me and smiled at me. He had been acting more confident today, and was acting as if we had one of those cute tumblr relationships.

Before I could even consider speaking, my eyes met Will's. His eyes flickered from my lips, back to my eyes, back to my lips, and back to my eyes. He then bit his own lip, which made me want to kiss him so passionately that we would never want to stop.

Instead of me kissing Will, he kissed me. It was rough, but didn't lack passion. His lips were soft and as he ran his tongue along my bottom lip, I had to remind myself not to sleep with him today. Our tongues fought for dominance, but eventually I let Will win.

His arms wrapped around my waist as I moved so I was straddling Will, while lightly sitting on his lap. I had my arms over his shoulders and my fingers were tangled in his hair. I tugged lightly and bit his lip, causing him to moan.

"We shouldn't go any further," Will insisted, pulling away. He was trying to get his breath, which caused me to smile because I don't need to breathe at all. "I, uh, I've never actually done something like that. I mean, I've kissed two girls other then you, but that was-"

"You ramble when you're nervous," I cut him off, then I kissed him quickly and moved so I wasn't sitting on him, but next to him instead. "For someone who's never made out with someone, you sure are good at it." I got to my feet and turned so I was facing Will. "How about we continue our movies here?"

Will nodded, so I moved across the room to set up the projector. I had chosen to keep the wall across from my bed blank, so I had set up a projector that faced it. When I connected it to my laptop, it made it more fun to watch movies and tv shows.

I left the room to get food and blankets. When I came back, Will had chosen Criminal Minds and it looks like we're starting from season one, which is good because it's where I'm up to. I locked my door again and passed him the food and a few blankets before sitting next to him and beginning the marathon...


	25. Emotionless

I woke up with someone's arm around me. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was Will, who I had convinced to stay the night for the second time. Now it's a Monday and he wants to go to school, but it's not going to happen if he doesn't get up.

The past two days he's been home alone because I've been skyping with Jack and contacting all of the vampires that lead cities. Turns out that there must be some mass movement to kick them out, because they're all on the run. It's not a good thing, but being in Mystic Falls would be bad for them all, so I sent them to Sydney in Australia, where one of the last leaders needed help staying in control.

Jack and all of the leader vampires of different cities are headed to Sydney, and in exchange for taking back the city, they're going to all work together to get the cities for everyone back. I just hope they can keep their mouths shut and hide well, or every single one of them is screwed.

Will's planning on asking Klaus if he can stay here for a while, but he hasn't done it yet. He does have a suitcase sitting in the corner of my room though, which is close enough to moving in. It turns out he only has a suitcase worth of clothes anyway, but we can fix that soon enough.

Since our short make-out session, Will and I haven't kissed again. You would think it would help me to get over these stupid feelings for him, but apparently not. Why do I even like him? I mean, he's kind and handsome and powerful, but I don't develop feelings for everyone who's like that.

A groan escaped Will's lips and I found it insanely hot, so I tried to move away. He pulled me closer to his chest and although I could've moved his arm, I decided not to. He was warm and his chest, which was clothed, was comfortable.

"Will, if you want me to go to school then we have to get up now," I told him, quietly. "Please. Klaus will kick your ass if you're the reason I stay home, and I'm not helping you."

"Fine," he grumbled, letting go of me and rolling over.

I grinned victoriously, then sat up. It's still winter, and although I don't actually feel the cold, I still do what I can to avoid it. Anything that can compete with the icy, black abyss that is my heart isn't my friend, so I used my heightened speed to get to my wardrobe, where it's always warm.

There wasn't much I felt like wearing today, as I plan to get Caroline to give me back my spot on the cheer squad, seeing how they're down two girls and have a competition today. I could've worn clothes that a cheerleader would, but I chose not to. Instead I picked out black skinny jeans, a blood red shirt, a pair of combat boots, and one of my many designer leather jackets.

I didn't put them on, as I had to shower. Seeing how there's vervain in the water system, I wasn't about to take a long shower, just in case the water filters failed and the vervain burns my skin. I got in, shaved, washed my body and hair, then got out.

After getting dressed, apart from putting on my shoes, socks and jacket, I dried my hair and then curled it. Seeing as there's meant to be a minimal make-up rule in high school's, I chose not to wear any. I just made sure that my hair looked nice and sprayed a bit of hairspray so it would stay in place.

When I walked back into my room, I found Will sitting on the floor. He was dressed in black jeans, a nice but plain white shirt, black boots, and wore a grey hoodie. His hair was wet, which meant he'd taken a shower. He looked really good today.

Joining him on the floor, I put on my socks and combat boots, then put on my leather jacket. Will smiled at me and I felt a flutter in my stomach, which is stupid. My feelings need to go away so I can think and not have stupid, teenage-like reactions.

"We're going to get breakfast on the way," I told Will, standing up. "My shout, seeing how I've got more money then I know what to do with."

Will got to his feet and I grabbed my phone and car keys. I checked my instagram on the way to my car, which was rather uneventful. Seeing how I have almost no friends in real life, I follow mainly celebrities. For some reason I follow all of the Kardashians and Jenners, but they interest me.

We both got in my car and I drove, of course. I wanted a coffee, but I can't have one because they spike it with vervain at the Grill and everywhere else. Like, if this place had a Starbucks, they would spike the coffee with vervain too. I hate it and it's leading to a hatred of almost everything and everyone.

"Are you serious about signing up for the cheer squad?" Will asked me. "I mean, the competition's today and you don't know the routine."

"Yeah, well, I'm taking Rebekah's spot," I stated, keeping my eyes on the road so I don't crash. "It's not like it's hard."

A noise of disgust left Will's lips, but I chose to ignore it. We were getting close to the Grill, so I had to go the speed limit. Thankfully, the Grill parking lot wasn't packed, so it was easy to get a parking space at the front, where it would be easy to leave.

I haven't told Will about the take down of all the leading vampires, apart from those in New Orleans. It doesn't really have anything to do with him, but it does mean that I'm at risk, even here. If I'm at risk, then anyone who's thought of as a friend of mine might die.

As we walked in, I removed my ray bans, to be polite. A smirk found it's way onto my face, as everyone was staring at Will and I. Judging from their looks, they thought we were some hot crime duo, here to get some food and maybe rob the place.

We sat at the booth at the back, and Will looked at the menu. I already knew that I wanted a BLT, as I'd wanted one since I got in the shower. A middle-aged woman came over to serve us, and I changed my smirk into a smile. Working in food places must get so annoying, especially when people constantly yell at you for something that's out of your control, so I like to be kind to the people who are at work on the days I leave the house get food.

"What can I get you two?" She asked, a southern accent clear in her voice.

"Uh, could I get the pancakes please," Will requested. "Oh, and some coffee."

"I'll have the BLT and some orange juice, thanks," I said, still smiling.

"We don't get many English people 'round here," the woman stated. I think she's from Louisiana. "Your the Ashford boy, right? Sorry about your aunt." She turned back to me. "I'll be back with your food."

Will looked as uncomfortable as I felt. I've never been great with over-talkative people, and this woman was no exception. As soon as she left, I saw Will's façade drop a little. His parents had died when he was eight, and even if he wasn't close to them, he still would've believed they were good people.

I reached for his hand under the table, but my hand ended up on his thigh. He tensed a little, but smiled at me anyway. I removed my hand and he relaxed a little, which was when I realized that I accidentally turned him on.

After breakfast, Will and I had gone straight to school. It was easy to convince Caroline to give me the second spare spot on the team, and she went over the routine with me. When she gets thrown in the air, I get to do three back hand springs and then a backflip, which is easy enough.

Now I was wearing a spare cheerleader outfit and I looked hot in it. The other team is Grove Hills, and there's a few others, but according to Caroline the rest don't have anything on us. I was standing in the hall, waiting for Will, who had agreed to come and see me.

"Looking for someone?" A familiar voice asked. "I have to admit, you look hot in that."

"Go away, Hayden," I said, turning to face him with my arms crossed over my chest. He ran a finger up my arm in an attempt to seduce me or something stupid like that. "Do I need to get a restraining order or something?"

"I've slept with most of the cheer squad," Hayden whispered in my ear. "What makes you any different?"

"This." Shadows pushed Hayden back and he placed his hand over his heart, which I was making hurt by using shadows.

As soon as someone turned the corner, I withdrew the shadows and smirked at Hayden, who was on the floor, breathing heavily. I turned to see who was there, but that was a mistake because I went flying down the hall.

I hit the floor and rolled. Of course it was Hayden's friends who were in the hall. I swore when I got to my feet. Hayden just smirked that annoying, but rather attractive smirk, and I hissed under my breath, but didn't attack him again.

When I was sure they were all looking at me, I fixed up my hair, smoothed out my uniform, and then I winked at all of them. Daniel, Sam, Jordan, Kyle and Hayden all seemed to be entranced now, but then there was Carter, who just looked guilty. I nodded at him before walking down the hall, away from them.

Seeing how I'd just been thrown down the hall, I decided to go and fix my appearance. I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Another girl walked in as I tied up my hair and put a pretty maroon ribbon in my hair.

The other girl, who was from Grove Hill, smiled at me. I smiled back before sneakily taking eyeliner out of her make-up bag. I applied some, but not much and I didn't wing it because it's easier to do that with liner, and this one's the crayon one. Somehow, I managed to put it back without being caught.

Because I don't know where Will is, I went to the gymnasium. Caroline and Elena were there, and they were beginning to argue. Stefan and I reached them at the same time, so I glared at him. If he thinks I'm over Kol's death, then he couldn't be more wrong.

"Everything all right?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, as soon as the queen backs off, everything will be fine," Elena answered, then walked off.

I narrowed my eyes at Elena. She doesn't have any emotions, and it's clear. When she's with the other girls she's good at acting like she does, but it's all an act. Why would she turn it off, though? I thought her life revolved around being human.

Wait. Jeremy was killed by that Silas guy. Maybe that's why she turned it off. Klaus told me that her old house burned down, with her brother's body in it, and I smirked because it felt good to know that at least one of them was dead.

"Her sire bond broke because she turned it all off," I told them. "It's all you had to do, but I thought that it was too easy after she killed Kol, and that she wanted to be as human as possible before she did it."

"Of course you knew how to fix it," Stefan said, dismayed. "Your friend was looking for you before. He's waiting in a nearby classroom."

I muttered my thanks before walking out of the gym and going to find Will. I could hear him speaking to someone, so I followed the sound of his voice. He stopped talking and I stopped listening for him when I knew where he was for sure.

As I turned down the hall and walked into one of the classrooms, I found Hayden pushing Will against the wall. Will's lip was split, but he looked fine other then that. Daniel, Same, Kyle and Jordan formed a circle around Will, so I quietly shut and locked the doors.

Insults were being thrown at Will, and I heard one of them tell him to die, which was the final strike. My first thought was to kill whoever said that as I used my heightened speed to get to the boys, but instead I pushed them to the side and pulled Hayden off Will. It was him who had said it, so I threw him onto the nearest desk.

Will dropped to the floor, and his nose began to bleed. He stared down at the ground, and I knew that it was because he was crying. I lilted his head up and wiped his tears away with the pad of my thumb. He just pulled his head away and looked back at the ground.

Someone went to grab me, so I spun while getting up, and pushed them away. It was Kyle, and he was shocked to find that I was so strong, but then he remembered that I'm a vampire. This place was filled with council members, but I let my fangs slip out for a second anyway.

"All of you sit down and stay seated!" I commanded.

"This is like some hot student-teacher thing," Hayden commented, earning a snicker from his friends. "If I get a choice, I want to be the teacher."

"Shut up or I'll tear your tongue out!" I warned.

I crouched back down next to Will, who's nose had stopped bleeding. I grabbed the box of tissues of the desk and handed it to Will, who wiped the blood away. His lip was split and I have a trick to fix it, but it'll only work if he agrees to the plan.

"Is the little baby crying because Thalia will never be his girlfriend?" Sam taunted.

"There's a way to shut them up, but I need you to go along with it," I whispered.

Will nodded, so I helped him to his feet. I looked at the teachers' desk, so he sat down on it. A noise left Hayden's lips that sounded an awful lot like a scoff. I glared at him, but said nothing, as I walked over to Will.

"Do you really think you could be with her?" Kyle asked, sneering. "She's hot and you're a freak. Don't look at her like a puppy because it just gets you sympathy. Thalia's way too hot to even kiss you on the cheek, let alone date you and let you sleep with her."

"Thing is, we're dating," I lied, smirking.

"Prove it," Hayden insisted, a sad look in his eyes.

Will shot me a questioning look, but as soon as I kissed him, he kissed me back. I tangled my hands in the back of his hair and bit my own lip so my blood would heal his. He drank it and then I pulled away and smirked at him.

"Well, it's been great seeing you all again, but I have to stretch," I told them, walking over to the door and opening it.

All five guys got from their seats and left the room. Hayden was the last to go, and he looked me up and down. I didn't flinch under his gaze, but I wanted to. Part of me wished I had never stopped kissing Will, so I didn't have to deal with everything.

Because I was close enough to get to the gymnasium when my team's called, I decided to stay in here with Will. His lip had healed and he had a slightly victorious look in his eyes. I smiled at him and sat down next to him on the desk.

Straight after I sat down, I got back up because I remembered that I had to stretch. I arched my arm over my head, and then switched arms after leaning to the right ten times. When I was done with that, I went into the splits.

"Can you help me stretch?" I asked, smiling innocently.

"Yeah, sure," Will agreed, standing up.

I decided to act on my feelings for Will. When I have feelings for someone, I usually tease them a little and leave them wanting, so that's what I did. I kicked my leg up and placed it on Will's shoulder. I then leaned forward and touched my toes.

When I was done, I kicked up the other leg and saw that Will was trying not to stare. I turned his head so he was looking at me, then I reached to touch my toes. A strangled noise escaped Will's lips, so I kicked my leg down.

There was a noticeable bulge in his jeans now, so I smirked. He leaned back on the desk and bit his lip a little. Now it was his turn to turn me on, and I just sighed. Will really is handsome, and I don't know if I should say something about my feelings or not, because I don't feel things for real people often.

"Come watch me," I insisted, as the team was called over the PA system.

Will nodded, so I jogged out of the room to join the team. Whoever decided that we should be called the Lady Timberwolves had no creativity at all. Caroline and Elena were at the front with me, so I joined them.

As Will passed to enter the gym, he winked at me and I winked back. No one else saw it, so they didn't say anything. Caroline led us into the gym and we all took our places, then looked down. I knew these words well, and the moves, despite only having learned them today.

The music began and I waited. It felt like time was going slower then usual, and I had the feeling that Elena would be the cause of something going wrong. It was too late to say anything now, so I mentally chided myself.

"L-O-L," We spelled out, doing the moves. "O-M-G, you're looking at Mystic Falls Varsity! B-E-A-T, beat those Cats!"

We moved and because I was on the far end, I took three steps forward. The flyers got into position. As soon as I heard them being lifted, I did my three back hand-springs. The girls were thrown in the air as I did the last back hand-spring and then my backflip into the splits.

Caroline and I hit the floor at the same time, but I was meant to and she wasn't, as she was a flier. The whole team, including myself, went to see if she was alright. When I reached Caroline, Elena looked at her, and then turned away.

If Caroline were human, she would be seriously hurt. Elena just sabotaged the entire squad, and she would be the new enemy of all the cheerleaders, which sort of made me feel good. I felt more sympathy for the cheerleaders who wanted to win, though. Our routine was better then Grove Hill's, but I suppose it doesn't matter now.

After about an hour, we all left to go and change. We spent that past hour as a squad, apart from Elena, who wasn't there. Now I was wearing my normal clothes again, but with my varsity jacket instead of my leather one.

Caroline had insisted that because I wasn't leaving in my cheer uniform that I should at least wear the jacket, and I wasn't in the mood to argue. Will was waiting for me outside, so I was making my way there now. I stepped outside and felt the cold breeze, but I didn't get cold, which will never stop being weird.

Will was there, and he was watching Stefan, who plunged a vervain dart into Elena's neck. I laughed at her, and then joined my favourite warlock. He grinned at me and then pulled something out of his jacket pocket. I realized it was my black diamond ring, and so I took it from him and put it back on.

"You left it in the classroom," Will told me, smiling sheepishly.

"Thanks," I said, twisting it out of habit.

Together we walked over to my car. I unlocked it and we both got in. My phone buzzed and I saw that it was a text inviting me to a party at the Salvatore Boarding House, and that it was from Elena. I had no other plans, and messing with her seems like a good idea right now, especially since she's emotionless and when she turns it all back on, she's going to feel terrible and I want to make it worse.

I got in my car, but Will took my hand before I could put the keys in the ignition and drive off. He looked me in the eyes, knowing I'm too stubborn to look away first. His eyes didn't flick to my lips and back up. This was a serious talk that we were going to have, but I was oddly ready.

"So, about those two kisses, I was wondering if it actually meant anything to you, or if you just kiss that passionately all the time," Will stated, refusing to look away. "I mean, you're immortal so you must know how to kiss passionately, but if it meant nothing, then that's fine."

"Would you hate me if I said I know exactly how I feel, but don't want to tell you just in case your feelings aren't the same?" I asked, quietly. "It meant something, but I don't usually have feelings for people. It's easier for me not to get attached to people who aren't immortal because I've never been good with the whole grief thing. Everyone I love dies, so it's just easier not to get attached to too many people."

"I know how you feel," Will muttered, looking away. "Friends then?"

"I didn't say I wasn't willing to try something more. Tonight you and I are going out to the party. It'll be an odd sort of date, where we get to get drunk and have fun, despite the fact that Mystic Falls lost because of Elena dropping Caroline."

I started up my car and drove off. I can only hope that Klaus lets Will stay...


	26. Party Like It's 1999

Will and I walked into Klaus' mansion, and found him talking to Hayley, the werewolf who had helped to unsire all of Klaus' hybrids. Seeing how it was for some stupid Expression triangle or something, I was a bit wary of her. It's the kind of magic that you don't want to have anything to do with.

They were having a lovely chat, so I took Will to the room he would probably stay in if Klaus said that he could stay. I helped him set up his stuff by using my vampire speed, so we were done within an hour. It was then that we decided to go and see if Klaus was still busy.

We walked into the parlour and found Klaus glaring at Hayley, who was glaring back. I tried to get their attention, but in the end I had to clear my throat, which is pointless because I don't actually need to, and I never will. They both turned to look at Will and I, so I just smiled.

There was a bottle of bourbon on the table, so I walked further into the room and picked it up. I drunk at least a quarter of the bottle, if not more, and then held it in my hand. Social situations always call for a bit of alcohol.

Hayley was openly judging me, and Will was staring at his feet, as if they were a textbook he had to study from on the day before a test because he didn't know anything. I glared at Hayley, and Klaus just stood there, waiting for something to happen.

"Maybe you should quit drinking," Hayley suggested. "Or go to an AA meeting."

"I suggest you see someone about your sense of right and wrong, wolf," I quipped. "You were apart of that slaughter, and that just doesn't seem right to me. All Shane knew was that your parents are from New Orleans, right? Or did he not even know that?"

Before Hayley could lunge at me, Klaus stepped in and gave me a strained smile, which I returned with a cold look. Will moved so he was beside me and he smiled at Klaus, looking as polite as he possibly could. Sometimes it's hard to convince people that you're polite when you look what they typically think of as punk or emo.

"I was wondering if I would be able to stay here," Will said, getting straight to the point. "Your house isn't a lost and found for wayward supernatural people, but Tyler signed the deeds of the house over to Matt, so I don't have a place to stay. Thalia suggested that you would take me in because you guys are such close friends."

"Don't ruin my house, and I suppose I have no reason to argue," Klaus agreed. "Something tells me that Thalia already picked out your room and set it up, so go and do whatever it is you two do."

Klaus turned away and led Hayley out of the room. Will and I hi-fived before going up to our rooms to get ready for this party.

The party was going to start in fifteen minutes, which is more then enough time to get to the Salvatore Boarding House. I was waiting for Will to meet me in the kitchen. He's taking more time then I did, and I took an hour and a half.

I was wearing a black dress that flared out a little and was tight at the top. It was one that you had to zip up, and it had a crossed back. On the sides it's cut out a little, and it looks quite nice. It shows my body off in all the right places, and allowed cleavage to be shown.

My hair was curled and I wore black heels. I had decided to wing my eyeliner, and put on mascara so I could show off my purple eyes. Then I put on red lipstick, the colour of blood, and was ready to go. I did make sure that I definitely looked good though.

Will walked into the kitchen and my eyes were immediately drawn to him. To say he looked hot was an understatement. He wore black skinny jeans, with a flannel shirt that was mainly red with black, and a white shirt underneath. He was wearing combat boots, and a necklace with a leather rope, like the one Klaus wears.

As I was looking at Will, he was looking at me. There was a small smirk on his face as he came over. It was easy for me to take in his appearance and then think back on it, so that's what I did. Even in viking times, we were taught that staring was rude.

"Where are you two going?" Klaus asked, walking into the kitchen and going straight to the fridge.

"A party at the Salvatore house," I answered, almost immediately. "So, I'll see you tomorrow some time. If you could buy some food, milk and bottles of water that would be great."

"I'm not your slave," Klaus grumbled. "You're lucky that I'm your only friend, or I would leave you with a short-lived hangover." There was a slight pause. "Oh, and don't try to argue that Will is your friend. If the soft moans a few nights ago were enough to judge off, I would say you two were kissing passionately and that requires a bit more then friendship."

I glared at Klaus and Will blushed. Before I could say anything, Klaus grabbed a blood bag and left the room. I groaned and then led Will out of the house, towards my car. We would probably have to stay at the Salvatore Boarding House, because I'm going to get drunk and Will isn't driving my Maserati.

We got in my car and I sped off as soon as Will had his seatbelt on. I didn't bother putting my own on, as it was a five minute drive and we were taking the back roads. It was a fast drive without any traffic for once.

As Will and I got out, he kissed me on the cheek and then we walked inside. Even before we got to the door, the music was loud and there were people everywhere. Inside it was chaos. People were already drunk and they were everywhere. Not to mention, the music was hurting my over-sensitive ears.

Seeing how I had three bottles of bourbon in my car, I had brought one with me and opened it up. Will took it from me and had some, coughing almost immediately after. I snickered and had a swig of it too, before putting the lid back on.

"Right, well, let's go party and get so drunk that we don't remember our names," I suggested, spotting Elena up on the table. "Well, you're going to get so drunk that you don't remember your name, and I'm going to do something stupid like breaking into the Smithsonian and running away at a human pace, then forgetting that I can compel people because I was absolutely wasted."

"Why am I not surprised that happened?" Stefan asked, standing behind me.

I turned to see Caroline and Stefan looking around the room. I offered them the bottle of bourbon, which they both drunk from before handing it back to me. Will took a drink, and I drunk some too. This is just cheap bourbon, so I don't really care.

Will walked further into the party as I brought the bottle to my lips again. This was insane. Not even an hour in and over half of Mystic Falls High School is here, and so are all of the Grove Hill people here. I was gonna have fun.

"Listen, Thalia, try not to get into a fight with Elena because she's switched off her humanity," Caroline suggested.

"Why can't she just deal with it like the rest of us?" I asked, coldly. "She lost her brother. Boo hoo. Some of us have lost so many people that we begin to stop counting. My best friend is dead, but I didn't turn it all off. Alcohol dependency is _so_ much easier then thinking about the fact that the only person in your entire 1000 years that knew all your secrets is dead and you saw him die, but couldn't help."

All I did was laugh and then walk off. It was going to be a long night, filled with alcohol and people who are good enough at kissing that I forget all my miseries for a while.

Last night the party had been shut down by the sheriff, and I had to go home. Will was completely sober and I was wasted, so for some reason that will forever be unknown to me, I let him drive my car. I never let anyone drive my car when I'm sober, but drunk me has different ideas.

Now I was in Will's bed, laying on his chest. My head didn't hurt, but that's only because I'm a vampire. I've had a hangover before, and I know for a fact that it isn't fun. How do humans deal with it? Oh, wait, they do everything in their power not to, just like Elena.

Will's chest was bare and for a moment I wondered if I had slept with him, but then I realized that I was fully clothed, in jeans and a comfortable shirt. I must've changed my clothes at some point in the night, but I don't remember when.

Seeing how Will was warm and his chest was more muscular and comfortable then I expected, I chose not to move. He smiled a little, and I wasn't sure if he was awake or not, but he looked at least two years younger and peaceful. Sleep always seems to strip people of the things that make them look older then they really are, like stress.

My phone chimed loudly, so I reached for it. There was a text from Klaus telling me to meet Stefan at the closest college, which happens to be Whitmore. Then it dinged again, saying Stefan was now on his way to get me because we had searching to do.

I climed out of bed and left Will where he was. I went into his bathroom and found a proper hairbrush, which I used to brush my hair, which was still curled. Then I went downstairs to try and sort myself out before I lose it.

There was milk in the fridge, so I poured it into a mug, and made myself some coffee. Our kettle had to be filled by bottled water, but I was fine with that. After my coffee, I had some blood, and then I heard a car pull up, so I assumed it was Stefan.

Using my vampire speed, I got outside before Stefan could get out of his car. Quickly, I got in his car and he sped off.

"So, is someone going to explain what we're looking for?" I asked, hopefully.

"Silas is using Bonnie to complete an Expression triangle," Stefan explained. "There's two places that it could happen, and because you and Klaus aren't able to die, we're getting you to help us."

"If Bonnie thinks that anything good will come from breaking down the wall to the Other Side, then she's truly under the control of Silas," I stated, coldly. "Listen, I know you want human Elena back, but if I have to kill Bonnie, then I will gladly do it. Silas isn't breaking that barrier."

"I How do you know what would happen?"

"I was a witch too, Stefan. Bonnie's new power is nothing compared to what mine was. Those shadows I can use are not the full extent of what I could once do, and I was only seven when I gave it up. I could easily do all kinds of music, but I knew spells were important. If you don't have a set spell, it could go so badly wrong that you might burn down a small European country."

The rest of the drive was silent. When Stefan parked the car, we had to hike, so I was glad that I had a cup of coffee this fine afternoon. Maybe I'd kept Will up because it's almost night time and he was still asleep when I left.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, just to discover that I had no signal. A noise of annoyance left my mouth and Stefan just laughed. We continued to hike, and I was getting sick of all these trees. They all look the same as they did one thousand years ago, only a bit bigger and a bit more dead.

We were looking for a clearing out here because the witches wouldn't be lured into helping Bonnie in a patch of trees. No one asked me, so I didn't tell them that Stefan and I are going the right way. I didn't really see the point in it. Maybe the witches can kill Bonnie before she can kill them. That would be the end of this Silas mess.

If the Other Side collapses, even if it's just in Mystic Falls, my parents can come back. I don't want them to come back. Sure, I'm immortal and there's only one thing that can permanently kill me, but I'm still not strong enough to face them. I didn't face them when I killed them. I was just finding a way out of it.

Bonnie will die if it means the Other Side doesn't break. I'll kill her myself if I have to. Or maybe I'll kill Silas, so I don't get run out of town with an angry mob chasing me. That sounds like a better idea. I'll just kill Silas.

Stefan suddenly ran forward, which snapped me out of my thoughts. I followed him, but stopped before I ran with him over to Bonnie. I was in the sight of the witches, but Stefan would be their main problem. He was stupid enough to run to Bonnie.

"Stop!" Stefan yelled. "It's not what you think."

"This is no place for a vampire," the witch said, angrily. "You and the Original need to leave."

"She's working for Silas," Stefan blurted.

I wouldn't have told them that if I were Stefan. It was foolish. All witches that know anything know to kill anyone who's working with Silas or to get to Silas. Now Bonnie's going to die, but at least the barrier to the Other Side isn't going to come crumbling down.

"Silas?" The witch asked.

"He brainwashed her to kill you," I explained, acting as if I didn't expect them to kill her now.

Bonnie, who was laying on the ground, whimpered a little. This witch, who's spirit I admired, pulled out a dagger. There was a look of confusion in Stefan's eyes, and I just stood there. This needed to happen and we all knew it.

"Wait," Stefan insisted. "What are you doing?"

"If Silas has her, she's lost," the witch explained. "We can't save her."

Stefan moved towards Bonnie, which was stupid. This witch was chanelling the power of eleven others. If that isn't enough to stop both Stefan and I, then nothing is. Personally, I don't want to help Bonnie at all. She played a part in killing Kol, who's death will continue to effect me for the rest of my life.

Both Stefan and I were thrown back. He landed on his back and got back up, as I rolled so I was on my feet. We both got up, and I extended my fangs, but then an overwhelming headache almost brought me to my knees. Stefan fell, and I gripped my head, trying to shake it off.

"I have the power of 12 witches!" She yelled. "You don't stand a chance!"

Stefan got up and ran over to where I was. He backed into a tree, and was groaning in pain. As soon as the witches started chanting, the pain was gone. I almost went over there and killed them all, but then I realized that it was what I was meant to do, so I backed off.

Klaus and Caroline ran to Stefan's side, and I walked backwards, towards him. If I took my eyes off the witches and Bonnie somehow struck, then they would all be dead, and that isn't happening. Not now, not ever.

"They're linked," I explained. "Bonnie only has to kill one to kill them all, and she will do it."

"Not if the witches kill her first," Klaus pointed out, then slammed Stefan against a tree to stop him.

"Klaus, we need to save her," Caroline insisted, stupidly.

"How?" He asked. "The only way to stop the witches is to kill them, and then Silas gets what he wants."

"Spirits, take her soul!" The witch yelled. "Free her from darkness."

The main witch held the dagger over Bonnie, who was screaming and writhing in pain. Before I could grab her arm and stop her, Caroline used her heightened speed to run into the circle. She grabbed the dagger and then shoved it into the chest of the witch.

All of the witches dropped dead after their leader did. The flames in the torches burned out, and it was almost completely dark, apart from the full moon shining on us. Caroline was shocked for a moment, but then she remembered why she did it and went to Bonnie's side, who's name she called out, to wake her.

"The triangle is complete," Bonnie stated, an eerie smile on her face, and her eyes turning milk-white.

I didn't stick around to see what would happen next. I left that stupid clearing as quickly as I could.

When I got signal back on my phone, I saw that I had a text from Will. He'd gone to California to visit his elderly grandparents, who are both supposedly witches and want to help with his knowledge of Silas. That meant I had the house to myself for the entire night, seeing how Klaus will gladly help Caroline bury the bodies of the dead witches.

That's why I was drinking away all of my miseries, with a playlist consisting of All Time Low, Pierce The Veil, Cartel, Bring Me The Horizon, A Day To Remember, and other bands alone those lines playing in the background. Kol's death was on my mind, and the only distraction was the music, which I muttered the words to.

Someone was in the house, but I wasn't too worried. It could be Klaus, or maybe one of the Salvatore brothers wanted something. Who knows? Not me. Who cares? Definitely not me.

Using the shadows that were under my control, I lifted up the bottle of bourbon across the room. It came over to me and I grabbed it. I poured myself another glass and began to sing along to the final lines of Favorite Record by Fall Out Boy. The song then changed to After Midnight, which is one of my favorite Blink-182 songs.

"Drowning your sorrows in alcohol?" Someone asked.

I looked up to see who was there, and spotted Damon, but it couldn't be him. This person radiated power that not even Damon had. This had to be Silas. It couldn't be anyone else, because none of us were that powerful.

"That's the plan," I told him. "Welcome to the 21st Century, Silas. If you're looking for a good, strong type of alcohol, I suggest vodka. Now, get out of my house before I kick you out myself."

"You aren't really that tough," Silas insisted. I tried to block him out of my head, and then I saw Stefan. "You're still a scared little girl, who's always looking over her shoulder and hoping that her parents can't find her."

"They can't because I killed them. You would know that if you were strong enough to get into my head, but you aren't. Not when I force you out. Maybe you're the scared one, because I don't fear people who are dead."

Silas scoffed, and dared to sit down across from me. I looked him in the eyes, but all I saw was that he was confident and powerful. That almost scared me, but allowing myself to feel an overwhelming kind of emotion would take down the mental barrier that I've forced up.

"You're beautiful, Thalia, but one day that little warlock of yours is going to see past the beauty and find that you're a cruel, horrible bitch." Silas' voice was cold and it was clear he wanted me to snap, but I just refused to. "His grandparents are going to tell him everything they know, and then I'm going to kill him."

"If you even _try_ to lay a hand on him, I will tear it off and feed it to you!"

"Then don't go against me, and I'll leave him alive."

Silas got up and began to walk out, but found that he hit a barrier. He scowled, stepped around it, and kept going. That was my turn to scowl, as I needed to stop him.

"You fear me, don't you? I'm the only one you can't get into the mind of, and that scares you. All of your leverage against me is gone, and I'll always end up victorious. Maybe it's _you_ who shouldn't go against _me_."


	27. Prom

Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah and I are all sitting around the dining table, which sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. However, we are discussing what we are going to do with the cure to vampirism, now that Elijah has it. Both Klaus and Rebekah want it, but I just want it gone.

Will has returned from his grandparent's house, and he agreed that we should go to prom together. The prom is tonight, and if we can judge it off the fact that Caroline designed it, it's going to be impressive. I have an odd soft-spot for dances.

Unlike Caroline, who asked me to go dress shopping with her, I actually had a dress to wear. It's in my wardrobe right now, and it's quite beautiful. Ever since I heard about the day this prom would be on, I've been preparing for it.

This whole decision is between Klaus and Rebekah, but Elijah is the one who holds what they want. It is selfish reasons on both sides, but I am more interested in Rebekah's reason. She wants to be human again, but she doesn't realize that she'll be weak and easy to kill.

As for Klaus, Silas is tormenting him because he wants the cure to drop the barrier to the Other Side. If Klaus helps Silas, all of my enemies come back to get me, including my parents. Then, if I kill them for a second time, there's going to have to be a second, and a tenth, and a hundredth, until I just give up and let them torment me for the rest of my life.

"Elijah, being a human means a fresh start," Rebekah told him, poetically. "I can grow old and have a family and fill my days with meaning, knowing that each one matters."

"Well, that was poetic," Klaus stated, after laughing at his sister.

"If you can provide us with a more compelling reason for wanting the cure, Klaus, please," Elijah said.

"Silas can appear as anyone," Klaus reminded us, for the tenth time today. "He got inside my thoughts, convinced me I was dying. He will torment me until I give him the cure."

"You've lost your touch, Klaus," I scoffed. "I guess I'm the more powerful one now. He can't get into _my_ mind because I don't allow myself to be vulnerable. He's strong, but the torment can't be that bad. Also, if you give him the cure the wall to the Other Side breaks down. If that happens, every supernatural being who has ever died can come back."

Klaus looked exasperated, but he wasn't truly surprised. He had expected this, and had an argument planned for almost anything. Of course, none of them would be enough, but he could always try. When all else fails, he'll just threaten us.

"Including Kol and Finn," Klaus reminded me. "We'll have our family back."

"Please," Rebekah scoffed. "You hated Kol and you kept Finn in a box for most of his life."

"That, and both Mikael and Esther can come back, as well as my own parents," I pointed out. "They are just the start of the long list of enemies of us who will return and threaten our existence."

"Elijah, please," Klaus begged.

"Your personal discomfort might not be sufficient reason for putting the entire world in jeopardy, Klaus," Elijah argued. "I think our sister deserves a shot at happiness."

"Great," I muttered, standing up. "Now that you've made your decision, I'm going to leave and actually do something important with my life."

I walked out of the room, and left them all to their quarrelling.

I stood in front of my mirror, trying to decide if I liked what I was wearing or not. Well, of course I liked the dress, but I was indecisive on the make-up. It looked nice, but was it the look I was wanting or not? Of course it is. It's what I want, and I know it but everything has to be perfect.

My dress was a deep red, close to maroon in colour. The top was tight, but the skirt of the dress puffed out a little, but not a lot. It's only got one strap, and it goes over my right shoulder, but it looks classy, not tacky and stupid. You can't see the heels I'm wearing with it, but they're black.

With my dress, I'm not wearing any rings. Instead, I'm wearing an expensive diamond bracelet that has gems the same colour as my dress in it. My earrings were the same, and my hair was curled, with two pieces of it - from the front - braided around in the half-up half-down hairstyle. The clasp holding my hair in place is also diamond and silver.

The last thing is my make-up, which is surprisingly light. I went with the smoky eye technique where it isn't too noticeable, but it still has the effect. Seeing how my skin is unnaturally flawless, I don't need to use foundation and I'm not a fan of blush. My lipstick matched my dress, and it actually looked quite nice.

All I needed now was a necklace, but Will had insisted that I don't worry about it. I don't know what he's going to do, but I wanted to. However, Elijah's helping him keep it a secret because I've been sneaking around since the family meeting this morning.

Deciding that I looked good, I left my room. As soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs, Klaus appeared by my side. I almost kicked his ass, but then I realized who it was and relaxed. He had scared me, as I had my guard down.

"You look stunning," he told me, actually complimenting me for once.

Klaus took my arm and led me into the parlour, where Elijah and Will were waiting with two people who were old enough for them to be Will's grandparents. Elijah was standing in my way, so I couldn't see Will, and I knew it was on purpose.

When Elijah stepped aside, a smile formed on Will's face, and he seemed surprised by my looks. I took the time to study him and what he was wearing. He had made his hair stylishly messing and it was a bit shorter. His eyes shone with happiness, and the tux he was wearing was a normal one, but with a tie to match my dress. He rocked what he was wearing and looked hot.

"Oh, you both look stunning!" The old woman exclaimed, happily. "You must be Thalia. I'm Marie and this is my husband, Anthony. Will told us so much about you when he visited."

"It was almost enough to look past the fact that you're a vampire and a demon," Anthony told me, a very angry expression on his face, which was the complete opposite to the look on his wife's face.

Marie slapped her husband's arm, and Will looked embarassed. I said nothing, as it was a fair call. The two of them were clearly witches, and it fine with me if they hate me. With Silas on the loose, they might just be killed, and although Will would mourn, I wouldn't.

Will and Elijah shared a look, so Will came over to me with a box in his hands. He opened it, and I saw that it was clearly something Klaus or Elijah had collected, as Will looked as if it were going to break in his hands, and it was evident in his eyes that he did not buy it. It was the Tiffany majestic necklace, and it was once the most expensive in the world. It was made of diamonds, and it was truly beautiful.

The necklace was clasped at the back of my neck, and then Will stepped away. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. Marie made an odd, coo-like sound, and I had to hold back a laugh. I saw Klaus laugh at her, but he covered it easily.

"I do believe there's a tradition of taking photos," Klaus stated, pulling out his phone. "Go on, stand next to each other so we can take a photo."

I stepped next to Will, and Marie seemed to pull a camera out of nowhere. Will's arm wrapped around my waist as Klaus and Marie took photos. Elijah was taking a few on my phone, but he finished before Marie did.

Next Marie, Will, and Anthony took a few photos together. After that, Marie insisted that I get in a few of the photos too, much to the displeasure of Anthony and myself. Marie then fixed up the clasp in my hair, which had gone sideways.

The next round of photos were Klaus and I, then Elijah and I, then finally all three of us together. To my surprise, it was Klaus who insisted that Will join us in one of the photos. Finally, for the final ones, Klaus put my phone, his phone, and the camera on timer, so we all took a photo together.

"Right, you two should head outside to the limo," Marie insisted.

"I thought we were just going to take my Maserati," I stated, confused.

"You aren't driving yourself to prom," Klaus told me, stubbornly. "Go on, you two. Have fun."

Will took my arm, and we exited the mansion together. As we had been told, there was a limo out the front, and the driver was standing by the door. He opened it, and Will got in and slid across, allowing me to climb in.

Neither of us spoke during the drive to the prom. I didn't know what to say, and I didn't really want to bother Will with small talk. It bores me, and it probably bores him.

When we arrived, Will got out and walked around the limo to help me out. Everyone watched us, and a few people took photos. It was sort of embarrassing, but I didn't truly mind. It also felt good. It felt human. Normal.

I took Will's arm, and we walked down a red carpet. A few other people were walking down it too, and they all looked lovely. Elena, Stefan and Damon were there, but they all left. That was when I spotted the screens with photos of everyone on it.

"Do you mind if we don't look at those?" Will asked, nervously.

"Will, this is part of your life, and maybe there's some photos of me," I said, smiling. "Please."

Of course Will didn't speak, but he did sigh. I took that as a yes, so I dragged him over to the screens. I saw a photo of Elena and Jeremy, but felt nothing but happiness. He's dead and she couldn't handle it. The world is how it should be. Well, it's going to be how it should be when I tear Elena limb from limb before finally killing her.

The photo changed to from the cheer thing where I was doing flips. It was taken while I was mid-air, and then there was one of Caroline and I. Will's lips tugged up, into a small smile. Then the photo changed and it was one of him with Tyler and Hayden.

"I didn't know you guys used to be friends," I whispered.

"Yeah, well, you don't know a lot of things about me," Will told me, coldly.

"Don't talk to me like that," I warned. "Let's go and enjoy the dance."

Thankfully, Will was the one to lead me inside this time. As soon as we got inside, there was music and people everywhere. Elena was speaking to Damon, who was now clearly angry. I ignored them as Will led me further into the hall.

He pulled his arm away and then wrapped it around my waist. I smiled a little, even though I was sort of confused as to where this part of Will was coming from. Well, I wasn't surprised, but ever since that one passionate kiss, not much else has happened.

I pulled him over to a table so we could sit down. That was when Hayden spotted us, and walked over. I noticed that he didn't have a date, and smiled to myself. Even the kid he enjoyed bullying was here with someone.

"You two look good together," Hayden muttered, sitting next to Will, who was now tense. "I mean, Thalia would look a lot better with me, of course. What I'm trying to do is apologize for everything, Thalia. You could be my date for the night, and we would be voted prom king and queen."

"No thanks," I said, coldly. Then I leaned forward, close enough to kiss Hayden. "We all know you want to hear me moan your name, but now it's not going to happen. Have fun with your hollow, pathetic life, Hayden. Always remember that you screwed up and now I'm not going to be apart of it."

Hayden stood up and stormed off, as I grinned. Will laughed at the boy who was once his friend, as he took my hand in his. I smiled at him, and it was a genuine smile. I liked the way Will's eyes lit up when he was happy, and the way he seemed a few years younger.

Will pulled me up, and kissed me quickly. When he pulled away, I blushed. I actually blushed. Am I still a little twelve year-old who's just had her first kiss? No. So why did I blush? He's handsome and I like him, but I do not blush!

He muttered something about dancing as we walked over to the dance floor, but I was busy trying to sort out my stupid emotions. I snapped out of my thoughts when he placed his hand on his waist, and took my hand in his spare one. My hand went to his shoulder and we began to dance to a song I didn't know.

I looked Will in the eyes. They were such a beautiful dark blue that it was almost intimidating. His pale skin was almost flawless, and his soft, pink lips were curved up, in a smile. His nose was straight and small, and his eyebrows were somehow perfect.

"I'm enjoying this more than I thought I would," I admitted. "Feeling so young and so human is amazing. It's sort of scary, but I like it. I like the way I feel right now. The way it feels to have you dancing with me, and touching me in a caring way. I'm really enjoying this. Thank you."

"I should thank you," he said, as we continued to dance. "In my seventeen years of life, you're the only person I've ever had a proper crush on. You're not even human, and witches aren't meant to like your kind, but I don't care. I just wish my parents could meet you."

There was a sad look on Will's face now, so I hugged him. He hugged me back, and we continued to dance when we pulled away.

It was time for the prom king and queen to be crowned, and I was excited to see who it was. I don't want to win, and I don't expect to, but it would be amazing if I did. Then I would wear the cute crown too. So what if I kind of want to win?

"All right, your prom king and queen are Matt Donovan and Bonnie Bennett," April announced.

Everyone cheered, as a spotlight shone on Matt and another on Bonnie. They made their way up to the stage, as Will and I watched them. He took my hand again, and kissed it this time. I could feel the blush threatening to appear, so I forced it away.

We walked outside, where there was a slight breeze. This night had been really fun, but I was ready to go home now, and so was Will. We stood near the screens, watching the pictures change. There was a few of him, and even fewer of me.

"So, you're aware this doesn't count as an actual date, right?" Will asked, still holding my hand. "I have something planned, but you're just going to have to wait and see what it is. This was really fun, though. I liked being here with you."

I pressed a kiss to Will's lips, but it was short-lived. Klaus, of all people, decided to clear his throat and ruin the moment. I turned to glare at him, forcing my mental barrier up, just in case it was secretly Silas.

"How cute," Klaus taunted. "Now, the both of you should be heading home. Don't have sex in the back of my car, or I'll kill you both."

Will laughed, thinking Klaus was joking, but he wasn't. I suppose one of the best night's of this century is now over for me...


	28. How To Get Away With Torture

What's the best way to torture a vampire you ask? Well, there's lots of ways. Thankfully for, well... mainly myself and those who want to torture this specific vampire, I'm an expert. Of course, I've also spent days thinking of how to torture people, and sometimes it's all that keeps me going.

When the Salvatore brothers asked me for the best way to break Elena and make her human again, I left my house immediately to go and help them. They didn't specifically state that I would get to torture her myself, but breaking her is really the same thing. Even if I don't get to be the one making her feel all those pesky emotions all, I'm still going to enjoy her screams.

My first idea was to get one of them to give her blood with vervain in it. She was hungry enough to take the blood without asking, and found the nasty surprise that was waiting. That wasn't meant to break her, and I knew it wouldn't, but I was enjoying the pain.

Now they were trying my second idea: tying her to a chair with weak ropes, taking her daylight ring, and burning her with the sun. Not only would it humiliate her when she can't break the weak ropes, but she would actually be in pain. Then there's the fact that the two people who care most about her are also the ones torturing her and are using my plan.

Caroline had come by earlier, and was still here, but that's not important. She was allowed to talk to our _darling_ Elena, and ended up snapping her neck. I laughed when Elena told Caroline that having Klaus ruffle up her 'perfect feathers' would be good for her, but that's the only because I agreed.

People like Caroline and Elena when she has her humanity on are _so_ annoying. I mean, yeah, sure it's good to be serious, but sometimes they just need to let go. Caroline's a lot more bearable then Elena though, because no one likes a false saint who has everyone die for her.

"How's the devil herself going?" Damon asked, walking in and pouring himself a glass of bourbon.

"Fine," I said, emotionlessly. "I'm just waiting to hear Elena scream. Will she go back to being your little angel when she's human?"

Damon didn't answer, knowing that I would twist his response, no matter what it is. He just walked out and left me to drink my miseries away. If he thinks I'm a wicked, twisted, sadistic little monster, then he's absolutely right and I want to hear him say it.

I remember once hearing the Salvatore brothers refer to Elena as an angel. There isn't truly that much difference between angels and demons. They both spill blood in the name of a very similar cause, and neither are human. Demons even have angels within their ranks, although they are all fallen.

The only difference is that angels serve the gods, and demons serve Lucifer. I don't think Lucifer is that bad of a guy, really. His crime was refusing to obey god when it was insisted that he now serve weak, mortal humans who go to war with each other over the pettiest things, instead of his father. The rest of the angels mindlessly did what they were told, but as soon as Lucifer starts questioning things, he's the bad one.

As I brought my bottle of bourbon to my lips, Elena began to scream. I assumed that the brothers lit her on fire, as I heard a fire extinguisher next, and the curtain go back in place. They talked for a bit, then she started screaming again.

When the talking began again, so did my drinking. This entire situation bores me to death, which is sort of awkward because I can't die. The only source of entertainment right now is Elena's screams. You'd think that because it's the 21st century that Damon and Stefan would have put a TV in here, but they still haven't.

Elena screamed again, and this time it sounded pretty bad. Damon and Stefan were frantically running about, so I assumed Elena had broken free of her restraints and was trying to burn herself. Now I could hear laughing, which bored me.

I used my heightened speed to go outside, into the woods. There I stood by a tree and pulled out my phone. Turns out there's better connection out here then there is outside, which is disappointing. That's another thing the Salvatores have to sort out.

"Thalia Ashwood, you shouldn't be out in the woods alone," I heard a familiar voice tell me. "Don't you know there's bad people out here? Monsters too."

"Well, Silas, I just happen to be one of those monsters," I stated, letting my fangs slip out and turning to face him.

Silas took the form of Stefan again, which was odd. He was trying to get into my head and I could feel him trying. I refused to give him access because he'll use my thoughts against me. He can already look like anyone he wants, and that's enough.

"I don't know why I keep you around," Silas admitted, trying to taunt me. He walked forward, clearly very confident. "You couldn't get me the cure, you can't ensure Bonnie's loyalty, and I don't need you for a part in my plan. All you do is prove you can keep people out of your head. It's really boring. You bore me."

"Yeah, well your little speech bored me," I said, unamused. "Go bother someone who you can actually manipulate and get into the mind of. Have some fun. Treat yourself."

"Just because I can't get into your head doesn't mean I can't figure you out." Silas' eyes shone with an odd kind of pride. "Your family hated you, didn't they? You may as well never have been born in their eyes. That's the only reason you're so good at keeping people out of your head."

"My family was fine, thanks. Maybe I'm just more powerful then you."

"Thalia, don't lie to me. They hated you and you hated yourself. All you wanted was their love, but when you didn't get it, you were given away. Somewhere along the line you give up your magic, then start to practice again. Then you become a vampire and kill your parents while turning your siblings."

Despite my nervousness, I just laughed. It was a cold, bitter, forced laugh and we both knew it, but I find that laughing in these situations unnerves the other person. Well, I was hoping it unnerved Silas, but he's hard to figure out.

We glared at each other for a very long, very silent, and incredibly awkward minute. If I weren't trying to make him see that he didn't scare me then I would've stated just how awkward the silence was. It's so unfortunate that I couldn't.

Stefan's grey-green eyes stared into mine as I tried to keep him out of my mind. Getting into someone else's mind makes you vulnerable to them, so all I could do was keep him out. I do know some things though. Travelling with witches who followed him, and hearing the stories as a child was going to prove to be very useful.

"At least the person I claimed to love didn't find out that I was cheating on her," I pointed out. "Becoming immortal without her and with your real lover instead was pretty harsh. Poor Qetsiyah. You just have to feel a bit sorry for her, even if she was a raging bitch about the situation." I smiled coldly. "Admittedly, I would kill your real lover too."

"How did you know that?" Silas asked, now scared of me. "No one knows about that!"

"Your mind is so open." My only hope was that he didn't see through my lies. "Being taken down by Qetsiyah made you feel so weak and fragile, and now I'm doing a similar thing, right? Your thoughts are quite amusing, I must say."

"STOP!"

Silas ran off, and I grinned. Then I used my heightened speed to go back to the Salvatore Boarding House and began to drink again.

Everyone's favourite Original vampire finally got her chance to shine. I'm talking about my fabulous self, of course. Let's face it: Klaus is emotionally unstable and needs to go to anger management classes, Elijah's so noble and predictable that it's boring, Rebekah's just an annoying, whiny, wannabe-human, and the others are all dead. I don't have much competition, if any at all.

As I walked into the cellar, I handed my bottle of bourbon to Damon, and walked into Elena's cell. She was sitting against the wall, looking weaker and more pathetic then usual. She's always weak and it's so pathetic that even though she's now a vampire, she still can't protect herself. It's _annoying_.

In this stupid story that is our lives, Elena would be considered a protagonist, and I would be the hated antagonist who never lets her forget her mistakes. Of course, if people actually had a brain then they would be able to see how whiny and annoying this weak, stupid, fake-martyr of a little bitch is.

She looked up at me, and I grinned the same cold grin I gave Silas earlier. Not only have I scared the oldest and most powerful person in the world, but now I get to torture Elena. Today is my day. The only thing that could add to the amount of joy I'm feeling right now is a warm bed, a bottle of bourbon, and a good movie.

"How pathetic are you feeling today?" I asked, picking Elena up by the throat, as if she were a rag doll. "I don't think you feel anything yet, but when you do, you're going to know that I'm right. I'm right when I say that you're a fake little bitch who would be nothing unless everyone was paying attention to her. I'll admit that I thought you wouldn't care without emotions, but everything is _still_ about you. I'm so done."

I threw Elena across the cell, and she hit the wall. Her head smashed against it and started to bleed. I watched in interest as it healed very, very slowly. She was so weak that it hurt her to heal, and that is a very fun weakness that I'm going to exploit.

She tried to get to her feet and run at me, but I kicked her in the chest. I laughed when she hit the stone floor and broke something. Before she could heal, I was by her side, crushing her chest with my foot. If she could get enough air to her lungs to speak, she would be screaming. Instead, she's weakly clawing at my leg, through my jeans.

"These are designer!" I exclaimed, pulling my foot away and stabbing her in the lung with the heel of my shoes. "I know you only care about yourself, and I know that you have to always be getting attention, but that doesn't give you a good enough reason to ruin my jeans! Now my heels have blood on them too!"

"At least people actually care about me!" Elena spat, having to gasp for air as her lung and chest both healed. "I doubt your parents even wanted you! That's why you ended up with the Mikaelsons! You just want the attention you never got as a child! You're the pathetic one!"

"That was defensive," I pointed out, grinning again. "I'm pretty sure that requires emotions, or maybe it's you trying to get into my head. It's not working, hun. Try again. Or don't. See, people like me better then they like you because I can actually defend myself. How many innocent, kind people have been hurt in the name of one of your many stupid causes? How many people who meant something to someone have died because of you? You'd have to start with your parents, and I don't think you'll ever stop counting. Jeremy is the latest though. He was just a kid, and he died for you when he didn't need to."

I shot forward and grabbed Elena by the throat, as she went to get up. She clawed at my arm, drawing blood. For that, I slammed her against the wall three times and then dug my nails into her neck. She let out a cry of pain, for which I snapped her neck.

Even though I was meant to get her to feel something, I didn't want to. All I had to do was keep hurting her and the pain would've turned on some emotions, but I chose not to. Hell, even my words could have provoked some emotions if I wanted them to, but that wasn't why I tortured her like that.

Honestly, I wanted her to be in pain. Not only because she killed Kol, but because I enjoy it. I'm not a sadist because I don't get sexual pleasure out of it. I'm just a cold-hearted bitch who wouldn't care if the world burned as long as I survived and had half-decent company.

Now I'm going to go home, drink until I want to eat, then eat and drink some more. That's all there is to do in this boring small town. As soon as I finish high school, I'm going to join Klaus in New Orleans. It was my home once, and can be again...


	29. Whiny Is Back

Elena was human again, and that means Whiny is back. See, I've been working on nicknames for all of those who associate themselves with her and claim that they are her friends. Whiny suits Elena well, Judgy is Bonnie, and Bossy is Caroline.

As for the others, I don't have anything yet. Stefan isn't truly a saint, and Damon's love for Elena makes him turn against everything he really is. Maybe I should start calling Damon a fake or something like that. No... That's not the point of these nicknames.

Will was hand-delivering some stupid letter to his grandparents, informing them of his graduation. I was just going to show up to graduation in a cap and gown, get that insignificant piece of paper saying that I graduated, and then go to New Orleans. All I want is to get out of this town for a while.

My dearest siblings had gone to New Orleans before Klaus, and a friend of mine informed me that they won't be a problem any more. There's this place called The Garden, for vampires who break the rules of the new leader of New Orleans. Let's just say, whoever this new leader is, he must know my siblings and I pretty well.

As for Klaus and Elijah, I know they won't show up for my graduation. Only Kol would, but it's too late for that. Death really stops people from coming to events that are important to you, or are meant to be, and it sucks really bad.

There was a knock on the front door, which was odd. I don't know who would bother knocking because all of the people that would visit me would just walk in, and I don't have any friends. I only decided to open the door out of curiosity.

Unfortunately, it was Whiny who was standing at the door. She pushed past me and I sighed loudly, in order to let her know that I don't want her here. There was no response, so I just followed Elena until she stopped in the parlour.

She made the mistake of reaching for my bourbon with vampire speed. Sure, I probably could've gotten to her in time to stop her, but that's no fun. That's why I used the shadows in the room to pierce her hand and push it away.

"You're meant to ask before you go to drink someone else's alcohol, and you're underage," I told her, annoyed. "What do you even want? I was having a lovely day all by myself, thinking about how much I hate everyone, and you ruined it with your presence."

"I want to know where Katherine is," Elena insisted.

 _This_ was what Damon was warning me about? When he told me Elena was hateful and determined. I just assumed she wanted me dead for being prettier and better then her in all ways. She wouldn't last a day without everyone paying her attention, and I know it makes her jealous when people pay attention to me. It just made more sense.

I was sort of amused by this situation. Elena actually thought she had a chance against Katherine. She thought she was able to find a woman who's been running from one of the biggest bads in the vampire community for 500 years, and then kill her. I'd like to see Katherine rip Whiny to shreds.

"I want to know where I can find a single care in the world, but I doubt I ever will," I said, smirking. "If you think you can even try to kill Katherine, then you're more stupid than I thought. Maybe I'll force-feed you the cure so you don't disgrace the name of vampires with your weakness."

Elena snapped and ran at me, but I grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off her feet with ease. For a few seconds she scratched at my arms, but gave up on that when she realized she couldn't stop me. I was expecting her to give up, but she kicked me instead.

I dropped the little bitch, but she found that shadows were wrapping around her ankles as she fell to the ground. As if it were some kind of stereotypical Paranormal Activity scene, I slowly dragged Elena over to me. Then I pressed my foot to her back and let the shadows go.

"Did you really think that would work?" I asked, coldly. "You've dealt with the other Originals, but they're nothing compared to me." Elena screamed as a shadow pierced her back. "I'm stronger," I dug my heel into her back and she yelled in pain, "faster," I pulled her hair and slammed her head into the ground using my heightened speed, "I've got more experience," expertly, I pressed into one of the pressure points on her back, "and I'm a hell of a lot more powerful."

A high-pitched scream escaped Elena's mouth as I forced shadows into her body. She began to writhe in pain, so I removed my foot from her back. When I pulled the shadows out, Elena was weaker then usual. She barely managed to get to her feet and walk out.

Once she was out of the room, I poured myself a glass of bourbon and sat down. Unfortunately for me, someone with a beating heart entered the room, and I knew it was Will. He's still a human, despite his magic, and he still has human morals, so he's not going to be happy.

Seeing how I wasn't in the mood for listening to anyone complain about how my actions were wrong, I didn't turn around. My bottle of bourbon was in arm's reach, and I don't need blood today, so I could sit here for at least a day. Sure, I'd get bored, but I have magic now too.

"You know I don't like Elena, but she walked out sobbing," Will informed me. "Whatever you did was too much. I heard screams as I walked into the house."

"You know I don't like Elena, but I really don't care either," I mocked. "Now that she's finished being all emotionless and annoying, she's being _whiny_ and annoying. Seriously, when am I going to get a break from her?"

"When you leave for New Orleans," Will said, quietly. "I heard you talking about it on the phone. I was hoping that maybe we could have a relationship and that you would go to Whitmore with me, but it was foolish of me to think that."

If I didn't have any kind of romantic feelings towards Will, I would shatter his heart right here. However, my emotions tend to get in the way, and guilt isn't something I like feeling. Normally I would tell him that it was a stupid hope because I don't feel anything for him, but I'm lonely and still need at least a friend.

Will's dark blue eyes shone with sadness, and I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. What do you say when you're meant to comfort someone? It's not like my life lets me be an expert in it. If I get any comfort, it's given to me by myself.

Before I could think of the right thing to say, Will turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. I just stood there, watching him leave. I could have called out for him and told him how I felt, but I didn't. Of course I didn't. I never do, and for that I only have myself to blame.

As I brought the bottle of bourbon I had to my lips, the smell of it disgusted me. A yell of confusion and fury left my throat as I threw the bottle at the fireplace wall. Thankfully there wasn't a fire going because that would be a disaster.

Tears started to stream down my face, and I angrily wiped them away. I should not be crying. He cannot be more then a friend. No one can be more then a friend unless they are unkillable, but no one truly is and so I only have lots of friends with benefits.

Maybe if I didn't have so many enemies and maybe if I didn't fear what I could accidentally do to Will, I would of told him to stay. Or it could be because I'm scared to get close because everyone I love dies or I have to be the one to hurt them... Definitely the second one.

"Will," I whispered, hearing him re-enter the room. "Please, come here." Will walked over and I sat on the ground. "Sit down with me, would you?"

Cautiously, Will sat on the ground. His eyes were red, but not puffy. He had tears in his eyes, but he just blinked them away. I bit my lip and reached for his face. I brushed his hair out of his eyes, and then I kept my hand on his cheek, cupping it.

I moved closer to Will and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, so I put my head on his chest instead. His heart was beating, fighting for every second of his life, and his lungs worked to keep him breathing, so he did not have to fight for that.

"Your body fights for every second of life," I told Will. "I don't even remember how that feels. I know how it _should_ feel, but I will never get to experience it again. One thousand years is a long time to live, and an even longer time to feel alone. Maybe every two hundred years I'll spend three or four of them with someone who makes me feel less alone, but it never lasts. Something always happens."

"If this is your way of telling me that we could never be together, then you should know I guessed that as soon as you did not respond to me," Will murmured. "Vampires and warlocks cannot be together anyway."

"You sound like those old, stuffy witches who used to tell me what to do when I lived in New Orleans," I said, smiling a little. " _Miss Ashwood, you cannot do this. Miss Ashwood, you cannot do that. No, Miss Ashwood, you cannot light an empty building on fire just to prove your point._ Don't tell me what I can and can't do and n _ever_ tell me that I cannot have what I want or that I cannot be with who I want."

Without hesitation, I pressed my lips to Will's. I felt like it was the right moment, and judging from the fact that he responded immediately, it was. He placed his hands on my waist and I almost sighed. He could touch me wherever he wanted right now, but I wasn't going to complain if he wanted to be act so much like a proper gentleman.

Before I could tangle my hands in Will's hair, he pulled away. Confusion shone in his eyes, and I sort of wanted him to stop. I knew why he was confused though, so I just didn't speak. It was better not to point out that we're both attracted to each other and how much of an issue that might be.

Within seconds, his lips were on mine again. Every time he kisses me, it's like my dead heart is beating again and life is spreading through my veins. It's all metephorical of course, but it feels amazing. I feel so alive.

Will tilted his head and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into my mouth. His hands slid a little bit lower, but didn't touch my ass. I slipped my hands into his hair as we continued to kiss. Unfortunately, it ended when we accidentally fell to the floor and Will pulled away.

I had no issue with him pressing me into the floor as we continued to kiss because I've been a horny teenager for one thousand years now. At the same time though, I didn't want to go too far. I wanted to have one of those cute relationships where they only get it on after they really know each other. Ugh. Emotions suck.

Right as I was ordering pizza, the power went out. At first Will and I thought it was only in the house, but when I checked my phone and saw I had no reception, we realized it's all over town. Actually going to the Mystic Grill in the hopes of seeing someone I know who might know what's going on was a mistake.

We've already gathered that I'm impatient and have serious road rage, but this was ridiculous! Who the bloody hell is stupid enough to stop their car because of strong wind?! It's best to keep driving and just hope that you don't get hit because as soon as you get inside your home, you should be good! It's even worse when the bloody idiot decides to stop in the middle of the road, as well at twenty other people!

After getting out of my car and convincing the first three people ahead of me that I had to get back to my sick, elderly grandmother, they began to move. We hit a stop again, so that's when I lost it. A scream of annoyance ripped it's way out of my throat, making Will turn to give me a questioning look.

We were two minutes away from the Mystic Grill, but we wouldn't get there in time because of all of the fools in this town. That's when I got the brilliant idea to use the police lights I had. I placed them on the middle of my dash and turned them on, as well as a siren.

People finally began to let me through, and we got to the Grill in record time. I was able to turn the lights and siren off. Thankfully, Will just accepted what he had just seen me do, despite the fact that's illegal. I didn't feel like getting questioned today.

"Thalia, do you know what's going on?" Rebekah asked, as soon as the doors of the Grill shut behind me.

"If I knew what was going on would I be here?" I questioned, annoyed. "The power's out all over town, no thanks to Bonnie Bennett. Judging on the power in the air and the fact that the power went out at the sight of the massacres for Silas, I'd say she's trying to take the barrier to the Other Side down."

"I don't think I'll ever understood how you got that because you had a pretty bad case of road rage a minute ago," Will said.

Matt and Rebekah were the only two people in the Grill, which was going to prove awkward for all of us. I mean, with the amount of times Will and I have been all cute or made out, most people would assume we're a couple. As for Mabekah, which is the ship name I've created for Matt and Rebekah, you can sort of smell the odd tension in the air. I don't know if they hate each other or if they want to make out.

Rebekah watched Will and I as I walked over to the Grill. I knew that Matt was the only one here right now, and he wouldn't stop me from drinking, so I took a bottle of bourbon and left a fifty. That would get me two bottles, and I would probably need that much to get through the rest of the day.

"Who's the hot boyfriend?" Rebekah asked, clearly interested in my answer.

"We're not dating," Will and I answered, at the same time.

"You should," Rebekah insisted. "Now we know where Caroline went at least. She's gone to stop the Bennett witch from doing something stupid."

The room fell silent as I poured the bourbon into four glasses. Rebekah took hers, and so did Will, but Matt denied the alcohol. I drunk his like a shot, despite it being at least three mouthfuls. Having a gag reflex that doesn't work is great.

Honestly, the alcohol helped with my bloodlust. It always gets worse when I kiss someone or have sex with them. The lust drives the need for blood, and it can end badly. Sure, I can go five days without a drop of blood and feel only a little weak, but I've been practicing. You can't truly control lust when you're stuck as a teenager.

I had expected the silence to be uncomfortable, but it was quite nice. Matt and Rebekah started a new little conversation, but I didn't feel like joining it. Will sat next to me, and I rested my head against his chest, facing away from him.

Closing my eyes, I decided to just listen to the silence. I could hear bugs outside, and people moving around outside of the Grill, but it was peaceful in here. There was the occasional drip of a tap, and the quiet conversation, but I was used to things like that.

Will wrapped his arms around me, and even though I knew it further provoked Rebekah to want to get us to date, I decided not to move. I poured myself another glass of bourbon and brought it to my lips. The warm liquid used to burn my throat, but not it's as if it soothes it, like a cough lolly or something.

"What do you think it would be like if the veil to the Other Side was destroyed?" I asked, suddenly.

"Maybe I would get to see my parents," Will said, sadly. "All of those that we once loved would come back and help protect us. We could even meet our ancestors if any of them were supernatural. It sort of doesn't seem like the worst thing."

"I would get to see my sister, Vicki," Matt told us. "Then I would see everyone else we know who's died. We wouldn't have to grieve."

"My brothers would be back, but so would my parents," Rebekah stated. "We could run together, like we used to. It wouldn't be that bad."

I didn't want to darken the mood, but I just couldn't see anything good coming out of it. Yeah, I want a few people back, but it's just not worth it. All of the suffering and pain and confusion wouldn't ever be worth any of it. Not even for a second.

"I think it would be hell on earth," I decided. "Everyone who's ever wanted to harm people coming back. Some people are dead because that's the only way they could be stopped. Sure, we'd get to see all of the people we love, but imagine the pain it would bring. You would remember their deaths and for the rest of your life, you'd be angry about them not trying to contact you or leaving you or even the pain of knowing that they'll just die again anyway. Then, when you die and you just want peace, you're right back where you started. It's just not worth it."

"Glad to see that's how you feel about my return," an incredibly familiar voice stated.

Rebekah's smile fell immediately as we both turned to face the door. Will tensed up, and tightened his grip on me, while Matt got angry and defensive. Let's face it: only Rebekah and I have a chance against Kol, so we're the ones that should worry.

Part of me wanted to greet my best friend, but the other part of me still hurt because of his death. Getting close to him again would be too much, especially since I know he's going to disappear again. If Kol was able to stay living, then it would be different.

Tears threatened to pool in my eyes, but I forced them back and brought the bottle of bourbon to my lips. I took a swig from the bottle, and then set it down. My eyes never left Kol, even as he crossed the room and poured himself a drink.

Speak of the devil and he shall come sort of has a new meaning to it now. We all know I was speaking partially about Kol and how I would feel if he were to come back, and here he is. He always was a devil when he was human, and as a vampire.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Rebekah said, breaking the silence.

"Spare the waterworks, sister," Kol dismissed. "I've already watched you grieve." He turned to face me, now with a drink in hand. "And you, Thalia. I expected you to drown yourself in alcohol, so good job at staying sober. Although, I suspect the warlock here has something to do with it. Every time I get bored and go to see you, you've got your tongues down each other's throats."

"I'm assuming this means Bonnie dropped the veil," Matt detected.

 _No, Matt, he's alive and well. That's why Kol's here, and not in New Orleans with his brothers. Hell, he never even died..._

"Not completely, and not for long," Kol informed us, clearly annoyed by this. "But who am I to give up an opportunity for revenge? My killer's already dead, but his sister's just as culpable, so maybe you could help me find her."

"If you're here, so are my parents," I stated, now fearful. "Will, we have to go right now. Find a way to meet up with me, Kol, but I have bigger issues now."

I pulled Will out of the Grill with me, and we ran to my car. As soon as Will shut the door, I gunned the engine and sped off. Seeing how there was traffic going the short way, I decided to go right around the entire town, which was faster.

You'd think that when you're close to your house and you're going the back way that there would be no police, right? Well, that's what I was hoping for and I was wrong. I heard sirens, but I was only a minute and a half away from home, so I kept going. They could wait for me.

As I pulled up in the driveway, I could see how scared Will was, and I didn't blame him. Not only did I just freak out about my parents being here, but there's police pulling up in my driveway right now. He wouldn't have to put up with this, though. It's my responsibility.

"Go right inside, and don't stop," I instructed. "Don't turn around for anyone or anything, and head to the kitchen."

"Listen, this is a really bad time, but I really like you, and I want to go to New Orleans with you," Will told me, rushing a little. "We've made out a few times and all the times we watched movies and tv shows together sort of count as dates, but I want more than that. I want to be able to call you my girlfriend and for us to be all cute and stuff... Wow, that was pretentious."

Before Will got out of the car, I grabbed his arm and kissed him, to show him I was accepting his offer. Then I shot him a smile as he got out of the car and began to run inside. A few seconds later, I got out and made sure that I looked worried and really distressed.

There was only one police officer, and he approached me with an angry look on his face. This might be a bit harder then I thought, but that doesn't matter. I'm a great liar and a great actress. Vampires need to be able to act.

I noticed the scent of vervain on the officer, meaning he was wearing it on him. Even though I had no clue where the vervain was, I was sure that this wasn't going to end well. It can't end well because he's not going to believe me and I can't compel him too.

"Officer, I'm so sorry for speeding, but my grandparents are really sick and I was driving back into town with my boyfriend when the weather started," I began to explain, making my voice sound shaky. "The car ran out of gas, so we had to fix that, and then I got a call from my grandmother and she sounded so scared. That's why I was speeding. I didn't want to, but I had to."

Fake tears ran down my face and I began to sob. He stood there for a few moments, clearly unsure of what to do. This was clearly a better choice than trying to seduce him and then killing him.

"You and your friend are going to have to come with me," he insisted, making the mistake of placing his hand on my shoulder.

The officer was startled as I grabbed his arm and pulled him close, as my fangs slipped out. I pressed my hand over his mouth and viciously bit into his neck. Within a minute he was drained of blood.

I dropped the now-dead body of the officer to the ground and went to walk inside. That was when I heard Will scream in pain...


	30. Will I Make It To Graduation

As I reached the parlour, I found Will on the floor, obviously in pain. I knew it was because of my parents, and I knew they were here somewhere, but I kneeled next to Will anyway. There were tears in his eyes, and his skin was much too hot, but then his eyes glazed over and I knew he was in really bad shape.

His breathing was shallow, and he was that sickly yellow kind of pale. I could feel his heart struggling to keep him alive, and his lungs were fighting to keep moving. If he died, it would be my fault, and I don't want to think about how that would make me feel.

"You could save him if you're willing to make him a monster too," an all-too familiar voice stated, from behind me. "Make him a monster the way you did to your siblings and hundreds, if not thousands, of other people."

I got to my feet and felt the worry wash away, as a wave of anger tore it's way through me. Then I turned to look at the people who had tormented me as a child. The ones who had stripped me of my childhood and sold me to men who made me kill people to live.

My mother was beautiful, which was no surprise because so are all her children. Her dark grey eyes shone with a fierce hatred, and her light blonde hair was still in the braid she wore when I killed her. She even wore those boring old viking dresses, which complimented her pale skin.

Then there was my father. He has olive skin, and black hair. We all inherited his angry purple eyes, that looked like lightning in a fierce thunderstorm that would destroy whole towns. He was handsome too, but in an odd way.

Will whimpered, and the anger tore through me again, more intense this time. I openly glared at both of my parents, wanting to kill them again. They were using a spell on him, knowing that he's in too much pain to stop it, and that I can't anymore.

"No," I said. "Will's innocent. He hasn't harmed anyone. Let him go. You can torture me all you want, but killing an innocent kid is too far. I'll let you torture me if you just stop your spell and let him go."

I didn't look away from my parents. There was a time when I would've let them do whatever they wanted and it was the same when I killed them, but now I know I'm powerful. Now I know who I am, what I can do, and how I truly feel.

"You're siblings had never harmed anyone," mother insisted. "They were innocent. So were we. You're just a murderous little monster, and your friend should've learned that by now."

"We've watched you over these past thousand years," my father continued. "We tried to harm you, or to even scare you, but we never could. I've seen all of the blood you've shed for the fun of it, and everyone you've killed as a game. Now your friend can find out who you really are too."

A cry of pain left Will's lips, but it sounded strangled. He was trying to seem as if he wasn't in too much pain, just to spare me. I wanted to kill my parents for this, but that never helps. With this specific spell, Will would die anyway.

They had forced me into this situation, and there was no way out. Because they've watched me, their knowledge of my weaknesses will be the end of me. I know they've been planning this since I tore them apart, watching the life flood out of them as I felt relief flood into me.

"What do you want?" I asked, giving in, but still clearly very angry.

"For you to suffer," Will whispered. "Just let them kill me. It hurts too much."

"Is he begging you to kill him?" Father asked, taking pleasure in this, the way I did in his death. "If not, I know that he will be. The spell is killing him on the inside. It burns your body, but he's not screaming. I'm surprised that you found someone who actually likes you. Don't worry, you won't have to see him when he's dead. I'll make sure he suffers even more, all for you. That boy you fell in love with last time did."

"Thalia, don't let them win," Will pleaded. "Kill me yourself. Please."

Will began to scream as my father lifted his hand. My mother did the same thing, and I knew that they were using two spells on him at the same time. His screams made my heart drop into my stomach, and made me want to turn it all off.

As soon as he began to cry while screaming, I lost it. Secretly, I pulled at all of the shadows in the room, to make sure they would work with me. I just hoped my eyes did not turn black like they usually do. It's a giveaway, and that's not something I can have happen.

"Stop!" I yelled, furiously. My parents just smiled. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"

I raised my arms and they were knocked across the floor. Tendrils of shadow wrapped around them as they raised into the air. Both of them struggled, but it was no use. I felt them use their magic against me instead of Will, but the darkness in my veins stopped the pain.

"You always were a monster," my mother said, knowing it would distract me. "This is even worse then when you were a child. Your friend is in pain, and instead of helping him, you're attacking us."

They slammed against the wall and I dropped my arms. I stalked towards them, keeping my posture as perfect as I could manage. If they didn't feel my power yet, they would soon. I will tear them apart again and again and again if I have to, but they will not hurt me again.

"Monsters aren't born, they're made," I stated. "If you're going to call me a monster, then you need to be the ones to accept that you made me like this. All I wanted was for my family to love me. Father beat me, and mother, you locked me in a room for a week with nothing more than a loaf of bread. Then you sold me, and called me a beast for standing with my twin. I was so confused as a child, and that all turned to hatred when I had to kill people before they killed me. Don't call me a monster if you can't see that I am what I am because it's necessary. I'm not your bitch. You can't abuse me anymore. I won't let you."

It felt good to stand up to my parents, and it felt even better to grab their necks and squeeze them hard enough to shatter them. Their bodies fell to the floor, so I started the fire before going over to Will, who was still in pain. I sat next to him, and looked at him.

Thankfully, the pain had stopped. They had to stop the spell to try and fight my shadows, and although I didn't know it for sure, it was a pretty good guess. I wouldn't have risked Will's life if I wasn't at least half-sure.

Seeing how he was weak and wouldn't heal quickly, I bit my wrist and placed it against Will's mouth. He drunk for a few seconds before pulling away, and moving his body so he was laying down in a position that was more comfortable. When I saw he could move, I got up again.

In one go, I kicked the heads off my parents and watched as they went into the fire. Then I took their odd ghostly bodies, which I could touch, and used my vampire speed to take them outside to the lake. I saw two large rocks, and dropped them on the chests of my parents after dumping their bodies in the lake.

Tears slid down my face, as I knew I could cry now. They had abused me and made me feel like crap, even at seven. It's too much for a kid, and it's the only memories I have of them. My siblings can list all of these positive memories of our parents, but I can't.

For seven years they treated me like I was nothing more than dirt, and I was so young and confused. I still don't know why they only treated me the way they did, and although I want to know, I also like not knowing. Even when I was gone, it had negative effects. I killed other kids with their whole lives ahead of them, all because my parents sold me.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, walking over. "I-I didn't know they were so horrible to you. They couldn't see how great you are."

"Oh Will, don't be so foolish," I said, shaking my head. "As a child I was innocent and pure, but that was stripped from me. I am a monster, but I enjoy it. I enjoy having the power and confidence to hurt those who wish to hurt me. They deserve it."

I woke up with my head on Will's bare chest. He has sweatpants on, so I knew we didn't sleep together. That would've been awkward, because all I remember is going straight to bed after speaking to Will by the lake.

Carefully, I got out of bed and checked my phone. Today was graduation day. It's the day that I'll finally get to leave and go to New Orleans, after getting that piece of paper that says I finished high school. If it weren't for compulsion I wouldn't be, but that doesn't really matter.

Will was awake, but refusing to get out of his bed. I just left his room and went back to my own. I have to get ready and make sure that I look perfect because people will be taking photos and I can't have a bad graduation photo.

Before I could get to my room, there was a knock on the front door. I smoothed out my hair and clothes, then used my heightened speed to run down the stairs. Once I had jumped over the railing, but then I broke the tile and Klaus made me pay for it, so I'm not doing that again.

As I opened the door, I heard Will fall over and I snickered. He then got back up and kept going, as his grandparents both stared at me. That was when I realized that my clothes were still covered in blood, so I swore very loudly.

"This is not your grandsons blood, it's my parents'," I explained. "Well, my undead parents. Before you use your witchy powers on me, I think you should come inside."

I stepped aside and let them in as Will came down the stairs. He saw the blood on my blue shirt, and pulled a face. It was one of those faces that basically said I was screwed, but in an odd way. As he reached me, he ran his hand across my side before hugging his grandparents.

Before I could get away, both Marie and Anthony stared at me. I really wanted a glass of bourbon right now, but Will made me promise that I wouldn't drink with his grandparents around. He didn't want them to think that I was drunk all of the time.

A smile forced it's way onto my lips and I awkwardly stood there, really hoping they would stop staring at me and the blood on my shirt. Anthony was furious and Marie was judging me, which isn't good. I just hope they'll listen because Will's going to have to tell them that he's coming to New Orleans with me.

"So, my not-so-dead parents are back because Bonnie Bennett dropped the veil to the Other Side, and now all the supernatural dead who have business in Mystic Falls can come back, but only here," I told them. "Long-ish story short, they tried to attack Will as a weakness of mine, and I used these really odd shadow powers and they helped me crush their throats and kill them. That was a highly sociopathic way to put it, but that's what happened."

Suddenly, the door flew open. I looked over to see an angry Kol striding in. Despite the angry look on his face, he had my cap and gown with him. I'd left it at the school, meaning he was plotting his revenge already. No surprise there.

He looked at Marie and Anthony before walking over to me, and putting the cap and gown on the little stand next to him. Then he glared at the three witches, and I knew I had more explaining to do. Before I could do that, another dead person arrived.

Dustin himself walked into the room, and I froze. Everyone noticed this, and they also noticed the clear beauty of my ex-lover. He and I were lovers when we were human. I wanted to marry him and live a normal, human life with him.

It was hard to look away from Dustin. He had pale skin and bright green eyes. He wore his brown hair in a more modern cut, and wore modern clothes. It was clear that he kept up with the times while on the Other Side, as he was also wearing combat boots, jeans, and a grey-green collared shirt.

"One thousand and two years," Dustin said, his face lighting up like a kid's on christmas. "I've dreamed about this moment for one thousand and two years. You and I have finally met again, just like you had promised me."

I still remember that on my first day as a vampire, out in the sun, Mikael left him to die. He did that with all of the werewolves in the village...

 _Screams could be heard from the hut I lived in. Mikael had gotten the first daylight ring and immediately went on a rampage because Esther cheated on him with whoever Klaus' real father is. We only know for sure that he's a werewolf._

 _Dustin was out there, and that was the only thing I could think about as I left the hut in search for him. I could hear Klaus begging me to go back inside, and Kol ran after me until Esther stopped him only a few seconds after. Elijah was out here too, looking for Amara._

 _"Dustin!" I called, as I entered the woods. "Dust-"_

 _I stopped in front of Dustin, who was dying. Blood was gushing out of a wound on his neck, which he held his hand against. By now I knew I could heal him with my blood, but I also knew he might die with my blood in his system, and I don't want to know what happens after that._

 _He looked up at me and smiled a pained smile. I dropped to my knees and pressed my hands to his neck, saying 'no' over and over again. We both knew he was going to die, but he still smiled at me. He just wanted to be with me._

 _All I wanted right now was to sink my fangs into his neck and drain him of the rest of his blood, but I just sat there and showed restraint. He was about to die, and only had a few minutes. I can't end it all for him now by draining him of blood._

 _"One day we'll meet again," I whispered, brushing his shoulder-length hair out of his face. "I promise you that we will. I'm sorry for this all."_

 _To spare Dustin of his pain, I snapped his neck in one, clean flick of my wrists. A sob escaped my chest as I slumped over the body of my dead lover. We will meet again..._

"Dustin, I'm not the girl who you loved," I insisted. "I'm a vampire. I'm a monster. I've killed more people then I care to count. You should go. Go and be with your family while you still can."

"Thalia, no, this is not meeting again!" Dustin yelled. "I've waited one thousand years for you."

"And I told you I'm not the girl you remember," I reminded him. "You waited and I moved on. That's not my fault."

"How can you not care?! I love you! You love me back, right?!"

Now I had to be mean in front of Will and his grandparents! Great! Everyone's going to _love_ me after I effortlessly break the heart of my ex-lover, who I was with when I was human, which was one thousand and two years, and one hundred and sixty-three days ago.

"Thalia told you to leave so go!" Kol snapped, before I had to say anything.

Dustin let out a growl and his eyes flashed yellow. He lunged at me, and I effortlessly caught him. Then I grabbed him by the collar and flipped him over. I had my hand on his throat now, and placed my knee on his chest to ensure that he was pinned down.

"Don't attack me, Dustin," I warned. "I'm older then you, and a lot more powerful. I told you I don't love you anymore, because I didn't expect to see you ever again and our love wasn't real. Klaus is the one I really had my eye on anyway. When I let you go, if you don't leave, I'm going to snap your neck."

Dustin's dead body was also in the lake, much to the displeasure of Will's grandparents. Thankfully, I had been able to put on a pair of jeggings, a pair of black stiletto heels, and a red shirt. I was going to wear a leather jacket, but then I realized that I would have nowhere to put it, so my arms were bare.

I snapped and grabbed my jacket before entering one of the many living rooms. This one actually had a television, so that's how I knew it was the main one. Seeing how Klaus took most of the stuff with him, I moved a few couches around and called the rooms with them there living rooms, but a lot of the rooms are still empty.

Kol was standing in the corner of the room, drinking a glass of scotch. It's the only other alcoholic drink we have, apart from bourbon. If Klaus didn't take everything else with him, we'd also have more than a single bottle of wine, and two bottles of champagne, which are in my room.

The wine was in my hand, so I placed it on the coffee table. Marie and Anthony both narrowed their eyes at me, so I just smiled and sat next to their grandson. I'm still going to act as if I'm actually nice, as I want them to be calm when Will tells them about New Orleans.

"So, Thalia, why do you have so much alcohol in the house?" Anthony asked, bitterly. "We found some in a room that looked as if it used to be used for art."

"Klaus left a lot here," I answered, calmly. "He moved to New Orleans, so he didn't need all of it. I will admit that I have a drink when I need one, but I don't get drunk easily."

"We should get going," Kol insisted. "You can all go out to the car. I need to speak to Thalia."

I shot Kol a warning look, but stood up anyway. Will's grandparents left first, so he kissed me on the cheek. We officially started dating yesterday, and haven't been able to do anything because of my parents and his grandparents. Then my ex appeared and made everything worse.

When everyone was gone, Kol hugged me. I pressed my face into his shoulder, and just breathed him in. I've missed my best friend, and I hate that I won't be able to do this again when the veil to the Other Side goes back up.

A single tear ran down my cheek, but before I could wipe it away, Kol did. He looked me in the eyes, and I could see how lonely he really was. That was the point of the Other Side; that those of us who are not meant to be there are lonely.

"Thalia, if you really care about that boy, you'll want to keep him safe when the graduation ceremony is over," Kol warned me. "The witches and hybrids that are dead have joined with me, and we're going to get revenge on those who played a part in our deaths. They won't go after you first, but they might find you anyway."

"What if I don't want you to go?" I asked, quietly. "What if I just want my best friend back? Can't you just leave your revenge plots for when I can find a way to bring you back? If you do, Elena and her friends aren't going to want to kill you as badly."

"You know I want to come back, but I can't. It's only possible if the veil stays down. Thals, I don't want you to be with me when I disappear. I really don't want to hurt you again."

"It wasn't you that hurt me. It was Elena and her stupid brother. As soon as I've graduated, I'm going to New Orleans, and Will might go with me. I wish that you could too."

Kol hugged me again, but then he pulled away. He kept his arm around my shoulders as we headed to my graduation...


	31. We Made It

As I pulled up to Mystic Falls High, I took a deep breath to prepare myself. Kol had gone ahead, to get his plan in order, so I was stuck driving Will and his grandparents. Since seeing me be mean to Dustin and the blood on my shirt, they've been really judgmental.

I quickly moved out of my seat, but Anthony climbed over it before I could move it forward. There was a footprint in my otherwise perfect leather seat, and all I could so was stare at it in horror. This is a brand new Maserati GranTurismo, and is like a child to me, and he left a footprint on my seat!

Before I snapped his neck, I remembered that he's probably trying to test me, so I breathed in and let it out in a shaky sigh. I shut my door and locked it, trying to keep calm. I almost yelled at someone in the traffic in my road rage, but I just clutched the steering wheel. I'm not ruining all of that hard work now.

We walked through the schools halls, towards the school ovals. As I stepped outside again, I saw that Caroline, Stefan, Matt, Bonnie, and Elena were all gathered together. Before I could pass them, Elena ran over to me.

Caroline ran after her, and so did Stefan. Bonnie and Matt jogged over, but I was feeling like they were in a gang and were here to beat me up, for some odd reason. Emotions are weird like that, which is a weird thing to say.

Everyone smiled at me, so I forced myself to smile back. Will just walked off with his grandparents. I knew he was angry because of everything that happened with Dustin, but it would be nice if he would let me explain.

"You came!" Caroline cheered. "Listen, you haven't been on our side, but you haven't not been either, and we all thought that we should include you in our celebrations. It's only fair, seeing how none of us got to know you just because you're an Original."

"Thank you for the act of kindness, but I really shouldn't intrude," I said, quietly. "I'm going to live in New Orleans for a while anyway."

"Don't ruin the day," Bonnie told me, trying to convince me to join them. "We've all been harsh towards you, so let us make up for it."

"All of you guys worked towards this," I stated. "It's not like you want me in your lives. Even if you want to make up for the way you acted, it doesn't matter. You killed my best friend, terrorized my family, and all of you wanted my family and I dead. I'm not Rebekah, and I don't forget about things like that to look like a good person. I'm not Klaus either, and I don't need people to work with. I just want to be left alone."

I turned on my heel and walked off, trying to seem calm and confident, despite the fact that I felt beaten down and tired. Feeling everything the way vampires do is too much sometimes. Everything's always heightened. You don't just feel anger, you feel rage. You aren't just sad, you're depressed. It sucks.

Stefan followed me, but I didn't stop or even glance at him. I kept walking, hoping that he would just let me do my own thing. Of course, he was apart of the supposed good guys, so he wasn't going to let this go because he can't. He still loves Elena, and she wants him to be good, so he acts like he is.

He moved in front of me, but I pushed past him. Finally, when I thought Stefan was going to leave me alone, I grinned. That grin was short-lived, as he grabbed my arm and made me stop. I couldn't bother to pull away, so I turned to face Stefan and glared at him.

"What do you want?!" I snapped, annoyed now.

"Why can't you just let people be nice to you?" Stefan asked me, sharing my annoyance. "All we wanted to do was to try and make nice with you. At least take my advice when I say that Will is a good guy, but his grandparents aren't."

"I know," I muttered. "His grandfather stepped on my leather seat and left a print. All I have to do is try and convince them that I'm an okay vampire so that Will can come to New Orleans with me."

"Thalia, I knew them when they were young, and I knew Will's parents. They killed their son and their daughter-in-law for their power. Keep Will safe and be careful, if you're so sure that you don't want my friendship and help."

I nodded, and then walked off. I had no reason to believe Stefan, but I also had no reason not to. This just means that I'll have to research it tonight, but not now. Hopefully they won't try anything yet because I just really want to graduate.

As I walked over to the stage, the mayor started his speech. I was second in line, as there was only one other person with a first name starting with A. He walked on first, and I prepared myself. He shook the hand of Rudy Hopkins, who's Bonnie's dad, and then formed a new line.

My name was called, I walked forward with complete confidence. I smiled as I took the paper, shook the hand of the Mayor, Rudy, and then walked over to the boy who had gone before me.

When everyone's names were called, everyone did the stereotypical move where they throw their caps up in the air. I was glad that I straightened my hair or it would be a mess right now, thanks to the stupid cap. I'm no longer a high school student, and this means freedom.

Marie and Anthony had spilled water on my leather seats, and I was the one who had to clean it up. I let out a loud sigh, and then cleaned it up myself. They just walked into my house and went on with their day.

Now I'm sitting at the window seat in one of the rooms, going through the case file for the deaths of Will's parents. They never found out who killed them, but they died in an odd way. Both of them ended up coughing up their inner organs, which had turned to liquid. They also seemed to have been low on energy the few days before they died.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked me, as I shut my laptop.

"I just fixed my tumblr theme," I lied. "So, I was wondering what happened to Will's parents. He hasn't told me anything, other than that they're dead and that he lived with you after that."

"If Will hasn't told you then it's none of your business," Anthony stated, joining his wife. "Do you know if he's in his room."

I knew exactly where Will was, as I could hear his heartbeat. He was exactly a thirty second walk away from this room, and if he started moving soon, he would overhear the rest of this conversation. To my luck, he did move towards us.

"See, the thing is, their deaths seemed to be caused by a witch," I said, getting up and walking over to them. "They said it was poison, but the police in Chicago don't know about us, and even if they did, it was all a cover-up. I was curious, so I hacked into the FBI database, which took longer then usual. They stepped up their game after I hacked into it last time."

From what I could hear, Will was now eavesdropping on the conversation. He had quickly slid to hide behind the wall, which muffled his heartbeat a tiny bit. Not much, but enough for me to figure out where he is if I were to take a rough guess.

"What are you implying, girl?" Anthony questioned, getting defensive.

"A witch liquefied the organs of your son and daughter-in-law, and you didn't even cry," I told them, not bothering to turn around to get the files I printed out. "The FBI profilers thought you might've done it, but they never found any evidence of it. Those same profilers all happened to die soon after. If you're going to be in my house, then you're going to tell me the truth."

When I was learning criminology and psychology to become a criminal profiler a few years ago, I was taught how to find someone's pressure point. It's a psychological one, and it's very useful. You don't see any major difference, but it's there.

A sharp pain pierced my brain before I shut it out. Marie looked shocked, and I just smiled. She was the one who attacked first, meaning she would be the last to tell me the truth. Now I have to focus on her husband, who's beginning to look guilty.

Will sniffled, but thankfully I could only hear it because of my heightened hearing. If he sniffled a bit louder we would have been caught, but thankfully he didn't. That would've been awkward and it also would've ruined my confrontation plan.

"When I was human, it was called kinslaying," I informed them. "I killed my parents, but they abused me and then sold me, so that was kind of fair. Back onto the topic of being human: I learned a spell which would allow me to drain others of their magic and liquefy their organs. I never got to use it, but it wasn't as hard as you would think. You only need to kill a goat or lamb. Kind of archaic, really."

I looked straight at Anthony, who then stared at the floor and began to fiddle with his ring. I then turned to look at Marie, who didn't even flinch. In this relationship, she would be what's called the dominant, and Anthony would be the submissive. He probably never wanted to hurt anyone.

"We would never do such a thing," Marie insisted. "How dare you accuse us of such a thing?! I'll make sure that Will never sees you again!"

"No you won't." I stepped closer to her. "What you're going to do is tell me the truth. Let's make a deal: I won't tell Will that you killed his parents if you just explain why. It's not like I can judge you. I killed my parents and then turned all of my siblings into vampires, and I have a lot of siblings."

Marie grabbed my hand and it started to dessicate, but I wasn't worried. She stopped as she heard the footsteps of her grandson, who had tears in his eyes. Both Marie and Anthony watched him, but with no emotion on their faces.

Will had tears in his eyes, and I wasn't surprised. He remembered his parents, and he had memories of them that were positive. They were good people, and clearly very loving towards their son, as well as very rich.

He looked at his grandparents with betrayal on his face. I wanted to compel him to forget what he heard and make him happy, but he needs to know. Will deserves to know the truth about the death of his own parents.

"Tell me the truth," Will commanded. "Do it, or I'll torture you until you tell me. Then I'll break the link to all of your power, and you'll be nothing without it. Thalia will turn me into a vampire just to do it."

"Fine," Anthony agreed. "You deserve to know. We wanted your power, but we decided to link entire generations together. We wanted Thalia to leave so you could have a child who we could channel, as it would keep us immortal and powerful. As soon as the child was old enough, we planned to kill you. It's what we did to your parents."

"You betrayed me!" Will screamed, his magic lashing out and blowing up lights. "How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?! I hate you!"

Marie and Anthony began to cough up blood. I let him go for a moment, before moving towards Will and placing my hand on his shoulder. It was meant to both calm him and stop him, but he burned my hand, so I had to pull it away.

"Don't kill them," I said, quietly. "Let them live with the knowledge that they almost had immortality and all of your power. Almost is worse then never."

Will stopped, and then broke down. He fell to his knees, and I moved with him. I pulled him into a hug as he cried into my shoulder...


	32. England's Countryside

I'll admit that I didn't surprise Will by telling him that we were going to England first, before New Orleans, because I was in a good mood. I did it because I need to go to the countryside in England to follow a lead. The lead was going to help me figure out my magic.

He was surprised by this sudden action, and thankfully didn't ask me how I got tickets so suddenly. For some reason, witches and warlocks don't like hearing that I tore two people's throats out to get tickets. I don't mind, but then they go on about balance and nature and all of that crap.

We arrived at my manor, which is very similar to Eastwell Manor, as this was what it was based off. The main differences is that there's more steps here, and it's still clearly old on the inside. If I were to take a guess, I'd say the kitchen is the most modern thing, with a fridge, oven, microwave, and stove, but I was last here in 2000, so I wouldn't know.

Will was looking around in awe, and it was rather amusing. He had clearly never seen a manor before, nor had he seen one this elegant. It was old and had moss and vines covering the front of it, and the stairs that led up to the manor itself were smooth, but old.

There were elegant rose bushes on the way up, until you got to the actual stairs, which had railings. It was a Cinderella type staircase and manor, where she loses her shoe while trying to run out of the nice palace before they see her in rags.

My butler-type person, and two maids were waiting by the front door. Jeffrey, Anastasia, and Marie all work for me, and have since they discovered I was a vampire. They're compelled not to care about what I do to my food, but other then that they are free to do what they please. I even let them live here, and pay them enough for them to stop working for me whenever they please.

"Lady Thalia, it is a pleasure to see you again," Anastasia stated.

"Anastasia, it's not the 1500s anymore, it's just Thalia," I corrected. "This is Will. Will, this is Anastasia, Marie, and Jeffrey."

"Are they vampires too?" Will asked.

I just nodded and led him into my manor. Jeffrey reached for Will's bags, but I shot him a pointed look. If we could carry our bags this far, we can get them to our rooms. It really isn't that hard, even if you're still human.

The walls were made of a dark wood, and the carpet was a matching red. If you got blood on it, there is no issue, so that is why I got it in the first place. This used to be a place where I would take in the new vampires, or kill them if they weren't fit for this life. If Elena came here, I would've killed her.

As we walked up the stairs, I noted that there were now paintings up. They were all dark, and made the place look like it was in a horror movie. The chandeliers no longer ran off candles - thank god - and had small lightbulbs in them so you can actually see where you're going.

Will's room was next to mine, so I gestured for him to walk into his own. My room was the biggest in the house because it's my manor, but it feels empty. There's no point in decorating it, so there's only things like furniture.

The room had the same dark wood walls and blood red carpet as the rest of the house, and I noted that the chandelier in here had lightbulbs in it too. My bed was a king sized one, with a canopy, and was a very dark brown. There were white curtains, so it matched the room, and the sheets were white and red.

All of the furniture in the room was a lighter wood, with golden handles. There's a nightstand on both of the sides of the bed, and they both have old-looking lamps on them. I have a mirror against the left wall and the drawers are across from it. There is a large window next to the drawers, and it allows me to be able to look at the gardens.

I put my suitcases at the foot of the bed, and then walked out. There was a bathroom on each of the three levels of the manor, so Will and I will have to share, as we are on the top floor. Jeffrey has the one on the first floor, and Marie shares with Anastasia on the second floor.

Will followed me as I walked down the stairs, to my old music room. I smiled when I saw that it had not been touched. The chandeliers still held candles, and candles lit up the room. There was a painting of the Originals and I, apart from Finn, and that was it.

In the middle of the room was my grand piano. It was a Steinway and Sons from 1868, and the top was closed, as I had left it. The legs were a black metal, but the outside was wood. I had it restored in 2000, and I told Jeffrey to tune it if he needed to, before I got here. It was beautiful, and one of the best pianos I own.

"This is a really nice place," Will stated, sitting on one of the leather armchairs near the guitars.

I have one acoustic, one bass, and one electric guitar near the armchairs, and then the cello and violin I own are across the room. This house doesn't have a drum kit, as I felt like it just wouldn't match the feel of the room, as my guitars are designed to look old.

"This isn't as nice as my house in Venice," I told him, pressing the keys of my piano and sitting on the dark leather stool. "That one is more modern though. I thought my manor would always need to have an old look to it, so even the appliances in the kitchen look like they could potentially be from the 1800s or 1900s. It's better then Klaus' mansion, where the mix of new and old was too conflicting."

"I didn't think you were the kind of person to play instruments," Will admitted. "Klaus painting wasn't that much of a surprise, but you seem more like a sports person."

"Don't bring up me being a sport person again." My voice was cold and dark. "Just know that I hate it for a good reason."

Seeing as my piano was in tune, I began to play Take Me To Church by Hozier. I got sick of hearing it all the time, but it's a beautiful song. When it got to the chorus, I began to sing along, and Will went quiet and just listened.

 _Take me to church,  
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies,  
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife,  
Offer me that deathless death,  
Good God, let me give you my life_

I stopped playing because Will was staring at me, and I was unsure as to why. All I was did was play the piano and sing. It's not that good of a talent, and it's not at all unusual. Hell, I know at least a small country worth of people who can sing.

"You're a really amazing singer," Will whispered. "Anyway, why are we even in England?"

"I have a lead to follow, and you're coming with me. We leave tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun is fully up in the sky."

Will and I walked in silence. Turns out we had to leave that night, and not the next morning, so all of my stuff was moved back to the car. As soon as I find this stupid clearing, I'm out of here. We can go to New Orleans and live our lives.

I was angry as hell about having to wander in the woods in the middle of the night. Who knows what's out here? I'm not afraid of the things that go bump in the night, but it would be great if I didn't have to be out here and meet one of them. Normally I'm the scary one out here, but who knows what will happen?

Not only is it dark, but my phone was about to die, and it was our only source of light. We were saving Will's phone because the light is cracked, and it runs out of battery really quickly. What made this worse is that it's cold enough for me to be able to feel it.

The clearing had to be near here, as I remember these woods from when I was a kid. Being a vampire means that I can remember things from my childhood, what I did two hours ago, and everything that was inbetween. It's kind of great, but also really bad.

There was a faint rustling, but I thought nothing of it. Will couldn't even hear it, so it's either the wind or some wild animal. Even a human with very little fitness could deal with whatever is out there. It's not like this place is haunted or anything.

As an arrow pierced my back and I fell forward, two more entered my spinal cord as well. The rustling came closer, and Will went to yell before he disappeared. I heard his half-yell, and saw him just vanish as I looked up, which was difficult.

A mixture of curse words and cries of pain left my lips as I reached for the arrow in my back. I couldn't reach any of them, so I had to gather shadows to pull them out. It was difficult, and I let out a cry as the first arrow was wrenched out of my back.

Whoever did this to me had planned this entire thing, and clearly knew what they were doing. It had to be another vampire working with a witch, or I would've been aware of their presence before getting shot in the back. It really hurt, and I was feeling annoyed.

It took me a minute or two, but I finally got the arrows out of my back and healed up. I got to my feet, and listened for a heartbeat. They must know I was headed to the clearing, so the only other logical place to go was my house.

Someone screamed and called my name as I began to run, using my heightened speed. I was thankful that this wasn't one of those times where I forget about how fast I can actually go. I ran at a human pace once because I just forgot about my vampire speed.

My house was on fire! Someone had lit my bloody manor on fire, and trapped Jeffrey, Anastasia, and Marie in there! My piano was in there too! Now they'd gone too far! You can stalk me and plan a trap for me, and you can kidnap my friend, but burning people I care for, and my piano, is too far!

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed, letting out a scream of frustration. "When I find you, I'm going to wring your bloody neck! Believe me, it'll literally be bloody when I'm done with you!"

"Thalia!" I heard Will cry out, although it was faint.

I ran towards where I heard him call my name. The pricks had taken him to the clearing after burning down my manor! When I find them, they're going to beg for the mercy that they sure as hell won't get! I'm going to make them pay!

Dodging trees and jumping over logs was easy, compared to actually figuring out where I was headed. Sure, I remember these woods, but they've changed a lot in the past 1010 years. So has the clearing, and I just know it.

As I reached the tree line, I sped out and grabbed someone by the neck. I stopped and held them up by the neck, my fangs extending. When I turned to the middle of the clearing, I saw a coven of about fifteen witches, four vampires, and Will in the middle.

The man I was holding up, who was covered in blood, was a vampire as well. There was no way that I could get Will out of this without slaughter, and I don't think that will go down well either. I guess I have to act diplomatic now.

Whoever these witches were, they weren't my main issue. The four vampires that I didn't know weren't that much of a problem either. My only problem was Rachel Martin, who was a vampire Klaus turned. She was in love with him, and he gave her attention for a few months. Then he fell for me again, and I killed everyone she loved because she was pissing me off, and I was already having a bad day.

To be fair, I didn't have to kill her brother, who was also a vampire, but I did anyway. She hated him, but like I said, I was having a bad day and she pissed me off even more. I decided to make a point to her - and all of the vampires in London - that if you cross me then I'll kill everyone you love.

Rachel was pretty, with blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She was Klaus' type, and we all know it. When she was human, she was shy and quiet, until she had sex with Klaus. Her screams were so loud that I considered cutting her tongue out, but I just moved out of the house and bought my own

"Let Will go!" I hissed, furiously.

"I don't think you're in the position to threaten anyone, Thalia," Rachel stated, smiling coldly. "How does it feel to lose people you love, and to know that a fourth person is going to die? Of course, you killed more than four people I cared for, but your cold heart holds very little love."

I threw the vampire to the ground, and let my fangs slip back into place. My face was now normal, so it was a lot easier to glare at this little bitch. As soon as I can, I'm going to tear her limb from limb and then tear her head off.

"We've all been wronged by you, in some way," one of the witches spoke. "You killed your parents and made your siblings vampires, which has weakened our coven for the past 1000 years. Now we have our strength back, and we all plan to crush you."

There was fear in Will's eyes, and I had to fight back the urge to run to his side and kill everyone. With Rachel so close to him, I wouldn't have the time. She would snap his neck before I could even try to get to him.

Will's dark blue eyes met mine, and I forced myself to look away. I tried making shadows rise, but it hurt me to do that. I forced back a wince, and just stood there. There were cruel grins on the faces of those around me.

"You don't need to kill him," I insisted. "He's a warlock. If you want to hurt me, then do it. I'll let you if that means Will can go without being harmed."

Rachel laughed at me, and I almost went to snap her neck. She moved Will's chair, and then sat on his lap. He looked uncomfortable, but because his wrists and ankles were tied to the chair, he couldn't do anything.

More than a pang of jealousy hit me when Rachel kissed Will, and grinded her hips against his. I let out a choked grunt, and she grinned. Then Will started to kiss back, and jealousy ran through my veins. Her fangs slid out, and she bit his neck, causing him to moan in pleasure.

She pulled away from his neck, and I rushed forward before anyone could stop me. I threw Rachel at a tree, and ripped off one of his restraints. Seeing how I still had one of my arrows, and the witches all linked together to take me down, I threw an arrow at the heart of their leader.

The arrow pierced a witch's heart, and they all dropped dead. Then the vampires, apart from Rachel, all ran at me. I grabbed two of them by the throats, and then used them to hit the others away. I crushed the neck of one of them, so I dropped that guy and tore the head off the other.

As the others ran at me, I let my fangs slip out. One of them got too close, and I tore their heart out. The other was just out of reach, so I grabbed him and bit so deep into his neck that it fell off his shoulders. It was only Rachel and I who could fight now.

"I thought I would be merciful and leave you alive last time, but now I see that my idea was wrong," I said. "Let's get this over with so I can go home."

When Rachel ran at me, I stood still and braced myself. She tackled me to the ground, but I was quick enough to spin us over midair and reach into her chest. I let my fangs disappear before grinning and tearing her heart out.

I got to my feet and tore off the ropes around Will's ankles. He was staring around in shock, but I didn't feel like talking to him right now. I just walked off and hoped he was following me.

Our plane flight had been cancelled due to the weather, so I had to get a hotel room for the night. If my manor hadn't of been burnt down, then we wouldn't have this issue. We could've stayed in England for a few more days, and gone sight-seeing or something.

I sat on the couch, scrolling through tumblr on my phone, as my laptop burned in the fire and I have to buy a new one. Will was sitting next to me, and was playing games on his phone. His clothes weren't covered in blood when we left the clearing, so he was the one who had to buy me new clothes.

There was nothing happening on tumblr, so I put my phone down and sighed. I leaned agains the back of the couch, and then glanced at Will. He knew I was annoyed because we agreed to date, but then he was kissing Rachel back.

"Thalia, I'm sorry," Will insisted, yet again. "You know I'm sorry. I thought that if I kissed her back, then I would definitely get out alive."

All I did was roll my eyes, which seemed to annoy Will. He moved so he was straddling me, and then he kissed me. I kissed back on instinct, not because I wanted to. It was a nice kiss though, so I kissed him back again.

He pulled away, and then moved so our noses weren't clashing. Then he kissed me again. It was a hard, passionate kiss that held anger and lust. I tangled my hands in his hair and tugged on it a little. It got the moan I was looking for, and he moved so I was straddling him.

Will bit my lip, and I moaned. Then he slid his hands up my shirt and ran them up and down my sides. I slid my own hands up his shirt, and felt his chest. He wasn't hard and muscular, but he was thin. I then raked my fingernails down his back, as gently as I could, and he kissed my neck.

I let out a moan when Will found the right spot on my neck. He nipped at it gently, and I took his shirt off. I then moved Will's hands so they were on my ass, which he squeezed. His lips placed kisses along all of my neck, and he would occasionally bite the skin. He then moved to my collarbones, where he did the same thing.

We fell back a bit, and then I got to my feet and kissed him again. If this went further, then he should be able to experience his first time on a bed. I walked him into the next room, still kissing him heatedly. I let his tongue slip into my mouth to keep him busy.

My legs hit the back of the bed, so I pulled him down with me. Will pulled away and I looked him in the eyes. His eyes held his lust, and he didn't object as I reached for his shirt. He then slowly slid his hands up my body, and then removed my shirt.

There was no hesitation in kissing me again. Will left a trail of sloppy kisses down my neck and then my chest, until my bra stopped him. He then kissed down my stomach, and looked up at me for a yes when he reached my jeans.

Slowly, Will pulled my jeans down my legs. When I kicked them off, he looked at my body. Before he could take control again, I pulled him down and kissed him. Then I turned us around and fumbled at the button and zip on his jeans.

Will's jeans came off easier then mine did, and he obviously had a boner. I kissed the part of his waist that was just above his boxers, and then continued to kiss up his chest, as I grinded my hips against him. When I reached his lips, I kissed him gently.

"Do you want to keep going?" I asked, cautiously. "If this is moving too fast then we can stop now."

"Then I'll forever question what this night would've been like," Will pointed out, as he gently squeezed my breasts.

It was his first time, and I wish it were mine. It was perfect, which was odd because it wasn't the best sex I've ever had...


	33. Welcome To New Orleans

Will hadn't been prepared to get up so earlier for our flight, so we almost missed it. He had stayed in his place in bed, and wouldn't even let me go until I threatened to feed off of him. That's when he stopped kissing my neck and being all cute so I could get out of bed.

I had put my jeans on, and then they ripped at the knee and I let out a sigh. At least the rip was on both knees and actually looked alright. My shirt was fine, which was good. It was a long flight and I would've been pissed if the shirt was ripped too.

Now we were getting off the plane. I was hungry, so I told Will to go ahead with our stuff. He thought that I was looking for something, and technically I am because I'm looking for a snack. I spotted an one of the air-hostesses, and smiled at her.

She walked over to me with a surprised look on her face, so I let my smile drop and kept pretending that I was looking for something. The woman came closer, and I listened for other heartbeats. We were now the only ones on the plane, apart from the pilots, but they were having a deep conversation right now.

When I looked up again, I sighed. She reached my side and I turned to face her. That was when a smile appeared on her face. She was going to act nice to get my off the plane, and I wasn't having any of her crap.

"Don't move and don't make a noise," I compelled.

The woman's face went blank, meaning my compulsion had worked. I bit into her neck as gently as I could, and then began to feed off of her. Someone moved, and so I pulled away. I'd gotten more then enough blood, so it didn't matter.

"Clean that up, hide it, and forget this ever happened," I said, still compelling her. "You cut your neck on a bottle."

With that, I licked the blood off my lips and then walked out of the plane. The walk back inside was quite short, but it was hot outside. I was glad to feel the aircon hit my skin again as I walked back in, but then I realized that I'd have to find Will and what little luggage we still had before Klaus does.

There was no way in hell that I was going to be able to use vampire speed in here, so I had to walk as quickly as I could manage. I almost picked someone up and moved them to the side, but I managed to stop myself. That would've ended in disaster.

Will was waiting by the luggage place, and was leaning against our singular suitcase. The only thing in it was the new laptop I had to buy, and Will's other pair of clothes. His weren't covered in blood, so he got to keep them.

I kissed him on the cheek as I reached him, and then ran a hand through my hair. Will watched me with a smile on his face, but before either of us could speak, Klaus appeared. His eyes locked onto Will, and I realized that I forgot to tell him about Will being here with me.

Much to what will prove to be Klaus' pleasure, Will was headed back to Mystic Falls now. I didn't want to see him go, as my feelings for him were pretty evident, but he got accepted into Whitmore College and didn't want to turn their offer down. He can go on full scholarship, which is amazing.

He only told me when we got on the plane, which I was annoyed about. I listened as he explained that I wasn't just good for sex, but that he actually liked me. That didn't stop him from breaking up with me, as well as telling me that he really did have a major crush on me, and then kissing me.

"Uh, so you guys know each other, which is good," I stated, awkwardly. "We should get going. I want to get to our new house so I can get in my car, which thankfully didn't burn too." I turned to Will, and then I kissed him. "Don't get yourself into trouble. Stay safe."

When Will smiled at me, I wanted to punch him in the face, but I just walked away. We were over, and if he thinks he's going to get more then a crappy goodbye and a kiss then he's wrong. If he wants to tell me something so important so late, he doesn't even deserve that, but I'm feeling nice today.

Usually I don't mind one night stands, but the fact that I actually felt something for Will makes it hurt. All he had to do was say that he was leaving. Maybe I still would've slept with him, or maybe I wouldn't be the girl he had sex with for experience and so he could boast about how hot I am.

"You're acting like a spurned lover," Klaus said, as we walked back out, into the heat. "Well, you sort of are, but oh well. This is New Orleans. We can go to Bourbon Street and drink our pain away."

"Let's just go home," I insisted.

I knew Klaus had bought a house in New Orleans, but I didn't expect to find that he bought the one he did. This was known as the Plantation the last time we were here. It was a mansion and was built in the 1800s, which was evident in the style.

This place belonged to one of the many governors that were in power when we last lived here. It was elegant and classy, which was exactly Elijah's style, so I thought it odd that Klaus would live here. I was aware that Elijah owns this house, but I thought Klaus would buy his own or build another one.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the gorgeous chandelier. Then I noticed the reek that only werewolf's emit. It was not coming from Klaus, as this is not a Hybrid smell. There is a werewolf in the house.

Klaus led me into the parlour, and I saw that only the furniture had changed. It had now been changed to become a living room, as it was relatively close to the kitchen and dining room, like in most houses. I spotted a cabinet with alcohol in it and grinned to myself. I opened the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of bourbon.

"Who's this?" The werewolf asked, almost startling me.

I turned and saw Hayley, the she-wolf who had been hanging around Tyler Lockwood. She was pretty, with tan skin, brown hair, and really great eyebrows. Her intense olive green eyes glared at me, but all I did was smile at her.

"Thalia Ashwood," I stated, coolly. "You're Hayley, the werewolf girl Tyler was friends with. What you did was cunning. I was a little surprised, actually. You seem more like the kind of girl who would just kill all of the hybrids yourself. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Hayley looked at Klaus expectantly. I watched the exchange between the both of them, and decided that something went on between them, and someone majorly screwed up or something odd happened. My bet was on the first one.

"Well, we did it in his art room and I got pregnant," Hayley explained, seeing how Klaus wouldn't. "If we had've known it was possible, I'm sure Klaus would've used a condom. Seeing how he's half-dead and all, it didn't really seem possible."

Hysterical laughing left my lips, and I almost doubled-over. Klaus as a father is going to be great! He's either going to be moody and cranky with the child or he's going to be ridiculously over-protective and get all of New Orleans to protect the kid or something! This'll be classic!

Klaus was glancing at me, as if I had gone insane. As for Hayley, she just watched me with a confused look on her face. This thing directly involved them so they had to be serious about it, but I didn't. I could laugh at the situation all I wanted.

"This is serious, Thalia," Klaus told me, unamused.

"I know," I said, between laughs. "Just... You as a father. It's gonna be great!"

"I'm glad you find amusement in the fact that I have a child, when no one knew it was possible a week or three ago," Klaus muttered, sarcastically. "The child will be your niece or nephew, and that makes it your responsibility too. If you think I will not make you protect my child then you really have lost it."

I took a deep breath and stopped laughing. Then I looked Klaus in the eyes, grinned, and brought the bottle of bourbon to my lips. He knew that I knew how serious this was, but he also knew that it's not like I really care.

Before anyone could bore me, I walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Seeing how we now have a pregnant werewolf in the house, I assumed that there would be actual food. I was happy to find that we had left-over pepperoni pizza.

A moan of pleasure left my mouth as I bit the pizza. It tasted so good, and I haven't eaten real, human food in a week. The fact that it's pizza that's reminding me of how good food tastes is even better. I just really love pizza.

The kitchen was way more modern now, and had been changed a lot. It was just your everyday rich person kitchen, with nothing special about it. Well, this pizza is pretty special because it tastes amazing, but it'll be gone soon.

Hayley and Klaus walked into the kitchen, and I saw a smug smile appear on Klaus' face. I ignored him and began to hum to myself as I danced around a bit. Pepperoni pizza and bourbon isn't an expected mix, but it's actually amazing. The fact that I can actually hum in tune made this entire moment so much better.

"I told you she would want the left-overs," Klaus insisted, cockily.

"If a day comes and I've not just binged on food, and I turn down leftover pizza, snap my neck and find out what happened to the real me," I instructed. "Believe me, I'll never turn down pizza if I can eat more. I could live off pizza."

All Hayley did was roll her eyes and walk out of the room. She was a bit of a bitch, but it's hard to hate someone so tough and sassy. If I weren't as sassy as I am, Hayley would be sass goals. Alas, I am the sassiest person I know.

Klaus came over to me, and wiped pizza sauce off the corner of my mouth. It was one of those things in movies and fanfics and stuff, where they do something corny like that and then kiss you. In this case, it was really just Klaus trying to annoy me.

"Did you have sex with the warlock?" Klaus asked, openly.

"Excuse me?" I questioned, almost choking on my pizza. Klaus just gave me a pointed look, and I knew he would get an answer no matter what it takes. "Well, yeah, I did. Then we got on the plane the next morning, after hot sex and a cute morning after, and he tells me that he's changed his mind and wants to accept the full scholarship to Whitmore College, which he didn't even tell me about!"

I watched Klaus as he moved so he was standing right in front of me. He forced me to lean against the bench a little, as he put a hand on either side of the bench, right next to me. He did the whole flirty eyes think, where they flick from my eyes, to my lips, and then back to my eyes.

He slowly slid his hands along the bench and down my sides before they rested on my waist. Then he did the stupid, sexy lip bite thing and I wanted to kiss him so badly. Klaus knows what he's doing to my stupid teenage hormones, but he enjoys it.

My inner being fought between pushing him away and kissing him. _Ugh_. Why do I have to be stuck at age seventeen. If I were a few years older then maybe I wouldn't want to make out with him so badly. I probably wouldn't be this confused either.

"You must be angry," he muttered in my ear, his hot breath hitting my neck. "Angry sex is always the best, don't you agree, _love_? If you don't agree, then I'm willing to change your mind."

Klaus took me completely by surprise when he actually kissed me. Usually he just taunts me, and then watches as I squirm and try to get the dirty thoughts out of my head. He even did that to me when we were together, but not this time.

Of course I kissed back. Klaus' lips were soft, and the kiss was passionate. His hands gripped my waist a little tighter before he lifted me up and placed me on the kitchen bench. He was still taller then me, so he titled his head, slipped his tongue into my mouth, and deepened the kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck, and tangled themselves in his hair.

His tongue slid over mine before he pulled away. I groaned as my arms dropped to my sides. Klaus just laughed at me, and I wanted to kick him in the balls. Who did he think he was? Did he really expect to get away with messing with me like that? The ass probably did, actually.

I had to get revenge for myself, so when Klaus went to walk away, I grabbed his arm and jumped off the bench. I pulled him back to me, and then kissed him angrily. My arms went back to his shoulders, so they could tug at his slightly curly hair a little.

Just like I wanted him to, Klaus kissed me back. I walked backwards, to the kitchen bench. I got back on it, and then wrapped my legs around Klaus' waist, pulling our lower halves together. Then I bit his lip, let go of it, and shoved him away.

"Don't do that to me again," I whispered, getting off the bench and walking away.

Originally I wanted to go shopping, but then I got to Bourbon Street and gave in. I'll admit that I was just walking around the French Quarter, getting used to the way it looks now, but I had to go shopping. Now I'm sitting in a bar called Rousseau's, waiting to be served.

A young woman with blonde hair and pretty green-blue eyes came over to me. She had surprisingly dark eyelashes, as her hair was blonde. This woman was pale and beautiful. Her name tag said that her name was Camille, and I had no doubt that Klaus would love her.

"You're a little young to be at a bar, don't you think?" She asked, clearly very curious.

There was a witch in this bar, according to one of the vampires who had stopped me before I walked in. That means Camille is probably on vervain, so I had to pull out my fake ID. I hate using this thing when I can just compel people, but I'm not taking any risks.

"My ID proves that I'm twenty-one," I stated, handing it to her. "Can I get a bourbon?"

"This is sketchy because you can't be more then seventeen, but you have an ID, so I can't stop you," Camille sighed, handing my ID back to me.

Camille turned around to pour me my drink, and I put my ID away. I don't even have a phone right now, so I can't play any games to keep myself distracted. Maybe I should go shopping after this drink. I really do need to.

I thanked Camille and handed her twenty dollars. She seemed surprised by the tip, but just thanked me before I walked away. I went and sat at one of the small tables, and then took a sip of bourbon. The all-too familiar taste of bourbon ran down my throat and warmed my stomach.

Someone sat across from me, and two vampires sat next to me. Sighing dramatically, I placed my drink on the table and looked up. The same vampire who had stopped me at the door sat across from me, and his friends sat next to me.

The one who stopped me at the door was wearing an old cap in the style of the ones in the 1920s, and had dark brown hair. He was handsome, pale, and had determined blue eyes. I smiled at him, and then at his friends.

One of the vampires, more specifically the one on my left, looked bored. He had dark brown skin, black curly hair, and brown eyes that looked like the rocks that ships crash against. He was handsome, and looked like he had just walked out of a rock video.

"You're a little young to be drinking, don't you think?" The one across from me asked.

"Listen, I'm just drinking to distract myself," I said. "I bought this drink too. You lot probably have people compelled to serve you." They all exchanged confused looks. "Yeah, I know you're vampires. If any of you knew anything about the Originals, you'd know I'm the last one you want to mess with. Now leave."

"We can't do that," the one on my left insisted. "Most of New Orleans don't actually know the Originals. We only know Klaus and Elijah because we've dealed with them already."

"I'm Thalia Ashwood," I told them, finishing my bourbon as if it were a shot and standing up. "Class is over, and I expect a full 2000 word essay on who I am, how many people I've killed, and how willing I am to tear your hearts out."

I shot them a smile before walking away. My smile dropped as soon as they couldn't see my face, as all of that acting was really hard. Playing nice is such a difficult thing, but I can't just rip their heads off in a bar because someone will run out and tell everyone, and then I'm screwed.

They were trailing me and I could sense it, but they didn't know that. I didn't turn around or even change how I was acting. I just kept walking until I came to an alleyway that branched off into another one. It's the best I could do, so I turned and walked down it until I got to the end of the back alley.

All three vampires appeared, and formed a triangle around me. Then two more dropped down, and so they formed a circle around me. I laughed and then let my fangs slip out, as a warning. Klaus warned me that Marcel has a way to tell if a witch is using magic, so I can't use my shadows, which sucks. I like scaring people with them.

"What do you want boys?" I asked, incredibly annoyed now. "A kiss on the cheek and a head ripped off your shoulders? Really, I thought you would've gotten the point."

"The Originals are all Mikaelsons," one hissed. He actually _hissed_ at me. It was weird. "So who are you really, Ashwood?"

"I told you, I'm an Original," I insisted, as patiently as I could manage. "I'm not blood related to the others so I don't have the surname Mikaelson. I was turned with them." I paused. "Oh, wait, is this concept too much for your pea-sized brains?"

"Who are you?!" One snapped, running at me.

They all ran at me, but I jumped and did a backflip, landing behind them. I smiled and waved, before I ran forward and kicked one of them back before ripping the heart out of another. The one who was on the ground dove at me, and I grabbed him by the neck.

I swung the one I had by the neck, and hit the other three so they fell. Then I tore his head off and threw it to one of them. A third died when he drew a stake and thought he could get it into my heart. I snapped his wrist in half, and then shoved the stake into his throat, and tore down his body until it literally ripped his heart in two. I laughed at that.

The last two, who were the handsome ones, ran at me. I grabbed them both my the throat and slammed them against the nearest wall. It was a brick wall, and there was a bit of dust when they hit it. They tried to struggle, but it didn't work.

"Woah, woah, woah," A familiar voice interrupted. "Thalia, I think you've done enough killing today. You just killed three of my guys. Don't kill my best two."

All I did was snap their necks, as Marcel didn't want them dead. I turned to see my long-time friend, and then I hugged him. He was a cheery guy, and was somehow keeping it up. We pulled apart and then I saw him look at the dead bodies with a sad look.

Marcel was undoubtedly hot. He had dark eyes that always sparkled, and his once-black hair was now shaved off. His dark skin glistened in the sun, and he was very muscular. He's one of the hottest guys I've ever met, and the fact that he's so charming adds to his allure.

"Marcel, you really should inform your men about me," I told him, grinning. "They thought I was lying to them, but I was telling the truth. All I wanted to do was have a glass of bourbon in peace."

"My guys are going to want revenge, and you know it," Marcel stated. "Klaus was surprised to find out I was alive. I figured you told him I was alive, but apparently not. I didn't even ask you not to tell him, so why didn't you?"

"He didn't come back to make sure you weren't alive. Mikael was is the only one who used to be equal to me when it came to fighting. I figured it wasn't too much of a risk, but Klaus just ran away with his tail between his legs. I should go before these two wake up, but it was nice seeing you again."

Before we could continue talking, and before it could get even more awkward, I chose to leave. I guess I really will go shopping now...


	34. Rebekah's Return

It had been about two months and three weeks since I first arrived in New Orleans, and summer quickly came to an end. I was happy about it. It means the weather would be getting colder and I would be getting less weird looks when I walk around in jeans.

Rebekah had called me, telling me that she was on her way here. To my pleasure, I was able to get the same number I had last time when I bought my new phone, so everyone could still call me. I had even gotten Damon to give me the numbers of his little gang in Mystic Falls.

There was only one problem with Rebekah coming home: she will be furious when she figures out that Klaus put a dagger in Elijah's heart. She'll either go on a rampage or yell at everyone, including me. I don't like the fact that Klaus daggered Elijah either, but it's not my battle and I don't want one in my heart too.

Seeing how I was trying to avoid conflict, I decided to look after Hayley. I intended to go out later too, so I was wearing tight black jeans, a plain white shirt that was sort of tight, and a leather jacket with black six inch heels. I had curled my hair a little, I had red lipstick on, and I somehow managed to perfectly wing my eyeliner.

Right now I'm standing in my room, trying to make sure I look perfect. The front door had opened a few minutes ago, but I didn't pay much attention to it until Rebekah started yelling. When she began to yell, I sped out of my room and down the stairs, towards the front door.

I got to the end of the stairs just as Klaus entered the room. I managed to stop without falling over in my heels, which was a life goal that I have finally achieved. Seriously though; why are heels so difficult to walk in? We shouldn't be punished for wanting to wear heels.

"Could you like, not shout?" I asked, annoyed. "It's nice to see you and all, but what if I was trying to do my eyeliner? I would've stabbed myself in the eye because you couldn't shut up."

"Where do you think you're going?" Klaus asked, openly checking me out.

"To bask in the New Orleans sun," I said, sarcastically. "I'm going out, Klaus. Well, I'm going out when the sun's down because I don't need to be seen as a day drunk. For now, I'm starting the party here, so bye."

Before I could walk out, Rebekah grabbed my arm. I turned to face her and smiled as menacingly as possible. We had a mini stare-down, and then she let go of my arm. Klaus stifled a laugh, and we both shot him a glare.

"Must you go so soon?" Rebekah questioned. "I thought we could chat about the many times that Klaus has betrayed us and this family. It seems he's done it again by daggering Elijah... Well, you probably wouldn't of noticed. You're too in love with him to notice all of the bad he has done."

Rebekah wanted me to fight her, and to attack her. She wants a physical reaction, and it's clear. All I'll give her are my words and the truth. I don't bend the knee to anyone, and she needs to remember that. If not, it's going to get real hard for her.

"Oh please," I scoffed. "I'm not in love with anyone, and _especially_ not Klaus. You can't look me in the eyes and honestly tell me that you haven't backstabbed someone in this family too. None of us can. I'm not going to stand here and act like I'm better then anyone when it comes to this matter, because unlike in everything else, I'm not. The next time you think I'm in love with Klaus, remember that I have better guys lining up for my attention."

Without any further reaction, I turned and walked out of the room. I saw the pained look in Klaus' eyes from my words, but I pushed it out of my head. He could learn to deal with what I said, whether I actually believe it or not.

Once Rebekah began to search the house, I went to a bar. That's how I found myself on the dance floor with an attractive guy in his early twenties. He couldn't be anymore then twenty-three, which was good because he thought I was twenty-one.

He had light brown hair and stunning blue eyes. His skin was lightly tanned, and he was muscular. He didn't really care for the blonde girl he was grinding with once he saw me, so I knew he would be the perfect distraction.

Whoever he was, he ended up making a nice snack while we were aggressively making out in the alleyway. His body will probably be found tomorrow, and it'll be in a dumpster. Maybe I should've been kinder with the dumping of his body, but I wanted to get back inside.

Now I've moved to a different bar to calm down, just in case people got suspicious. The guy who I tore the throat out of seemed to know quite a few people in the bar, which isn't going to benefit Marcel. I just hope it benefits Klaus instead of making it worse for everyone.

"What would bring a girl like yourself to a bar like this?" A guy who looked a bit like Will asked. "Can I sit here?"

I waved my hand, as if to say the seat was his. He had dark brown hair, pale skin, and dark grey eyes that shone like steel. There was something about him that interested me, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

All I did was sip my bourbon as this stranger studied me closely. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. I don't know why, but I feel like we could have a really deep conversation. The fact that I'm probably a bit tipsy would make it even easier.

"I'm Thalia," I said, breaking the oddly comfortable silence.

"That's a lovely name," he told me. "I'm Harry. You haven't answered my question yet. The one about why you're here, of course."

A small laugh left my lips, but it was bitter. I took a sip of my bourbon and then looked up at Harry. I had to say, his name suited him well. He wasn't truly a Harry, but he looked like he could be. Things like that make me think, and I like it.

"A history of misery and mistakes," I stated. "It's pretty vague, but it's the truth."

"Well what compels you to make mistakes? I'm studying to become a psychologist, so maybe I could be of some help to you. You seem like a pretty sad person."

The bottle of bourbon that I bought was almost empty, so I poured the rest of it into my cup. Then I took a sip and let it tingle the back of my throat. Only vervain can burn my throat, other then acid, so strong alcohol is no problem.

"You understand me so well, Harry. I could sum up my entire childhood with some quote that's used all over tumblr. It's bloody pathetic! Yet it's so true... I feel everything so powerfully and one day it's going to be my ruin. There's no inbetween for me, even if I want there to be."

Harry watched me with those grey eyes of his. They softened to look like pools of molten steel. I could lose myself in them, but I can't do it. If I lose myself then I lose my sanity and everything I've worked to become.

"Are you going to tell me the quote?" He asked, quietly, listening intently.

"'She was too quiet, or she was too loud. She took things too seriously, or not seriously at all. She was too sensitive, or too cold hearted. She hated with every fibre of her being, or loved with every piece of her heart.' Usually I don't seem to take things seriously, and I'm too cold hearted. That's probably not the real me. It's just the image I've built for myself. The image that I've conformed to in order to look happy."

I felt Harry's hand brush against mine before he held them both. He had a sympathetic look in his eyes, and I realized he wanted something from this. I'm a drunk girl who's vulnerable, so he thinks he can talk me into sleeping with him. I hope he takes rejection well.

A cold grin would've appeared on my face if I wasn't telling the truth. Either I'll compel him to forget me or I'll eat him. It just depends on how I feel when I've finished talking. Maybe I'll feel sad, and if I don't it's his loss.

Taking his hand, I led him out of the bar. Harry's eyes glinted with excitement, and I could tell he wanted to make out and then have sex. That's why I led him into an alleyway. I guess I'll be leaving a trail of dead bodies tonight if he says the wrong thing.

"Do you think there's a reason behind how you act? Or a reason behind why you're so self-aware, but don't do anything to change something in your life to make you happier?"

"Well, my parents sold me and then I became a hitman of sorts. Then I found this new family who took me in, but then we became vampires. It was great until I had to tear people's throats out to live. Then I learned self-control, and blood bags came around after over 900 years, so that's good. Now I've come back to the place I lived in when we didn't have electricity. Rough times."

Before Harry could scream or even move, I covered his mouth with my hand and began to feed. I went to stop because he tasted really bitter, but then I realized that I wanted to kill him. I'm an impulsive little bitch, so I drained him of his blood and put his body in the darkest corner of the alley.

Seeing how I'd probably kill a few more people if I stayed out, I decided to head home. I had a drop of blood on my shirt too, so I'd have to bleach it or something.

I woke up and was confused about where the hell I was. That was when I remembered that I now lived in New Orleans, but not back in our old house. I don't know why I was so confused, but I could probably blame all of the alcohol I drank.

Getting downstairs to have breakfast was the easy part. The hard part was changing into new clothes, fixing my hair, and taking the rest of my make-up off. Now I'm sitting on the bench, cooking pancakes for everyone. Only Hayley's accepted my offer, but if no one else wants them then I'll have the rest.

There was orange juice out, as well as apple juice. Seeing how this was my breakfast, I wasn't allowing anyone to get out the ice-cream. They could have cream, jam, honey, icing sugar or syrup on them. All of the things set out could be put on the pancakes for all I care.

"Thalia!" Klaus exclaimed, storming in. He stopped and looked at me, as I put another perfect pancake on the plate. "What are you doing? Are you making pancakes?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. "Would you like some? Before you act like the kid who ruins Christmas for the rest of his siblings because he told them Santa isn't real, just consider the fact that Hayley's eating with us. I know you love my pancakes. You can yell at me while you eat."

Klaus took the stack of pancakes into the dining room, and I brought all of the things you could put on it. Hayley took four knives and forks, just in case Rebekah appears and joins us some time soon. It would be nice if she did.

I took two pancakes at first, so I didn't seem greedy. Hayley didn't care and took three, while Klaus just took one. I knew he only took one so he could finish it, yell at me, and then start a new pancake. You'd be surprised by how many times it's happened.

As I had hoped, Rebekah sat down next to me and helped herself to a pancake. I had maple syrup and icing sugar on mine, so I was just enjoying the taste of such a beautiful meal. I poured myself a glass of orange juice too.

"When my kid has it's first pancake, you're making them," Hayley told me, wiping jam from the corner of her mouth.

"Right, well, this was a nice breakfast," Klaus stated, getting prepared to yell at me. "What were you up to last night when Hayley contemplated drinking wolfsbane to kill her child?"

"Wait, what?!" I asked, shocked. "You tried to kill your own kid? If I had've known that anyone was even considering it then I would've come home. I get that having Klaus' kid is tough, but maybe you should get an actual abortion if you don't want it and think about it a bit more. It makes life easier, and it's safer."

I saw Klaus shoot me a glare, but I was just advising Hayley on healthier options then drinking aconite so she doesn't have Klaus' kid. Sure, the fact that she was considering getting rid of the kid was sad, but it's her choice. None of us get a say in it because we aren't having to carry the child for nine months, so all I can do is advise Hayley to safely abort the child.

"Do you know anything about the two people who were killed by vampires last night?" Klaus whispered to me. "Was it you?"

"Um, oops," was all I said in response. "To be fair, the second one didn't taste anywhere near as good as the first. So, I'm going to go read now. It was nice having breakfast with you all."

Anxiously, I got up and left the room as quickly as I could. Klaus followed me, but I moved quickly. All I could hear was him in the library already, so I decided to go into the room next to it and sit behind the piano, as if I were actually going to play it.

Klaus walked in, and I started to play 'You Should Know Where I'm Coming From' by Banks. He looked at me skeptically, but went silent when I began to sing. I always liked the way he'd look at me when I began to sung: as if I were an angel he would only see once in his life.

 _What if I said I would break your heart?_  
 _What if I said I have problems that made me mean?_  
 _What if I knew I would just rip your mind apart?_  
 _Would you let me out?_

 _Maybe you can stop before you start,_  
 _Maybe you can see that I just may be too crazy to love_  
 _If I told you solitude fits me like a glove,_  
 _Would you let me out?_

I stopped there, and saw that Klaus had tears in his eyes. I think he was going to ask me about what I said yesterday, but I didn't want to talk about it. What I said I didn't mean, and I hate admitting things like that.

"Your talents always did amaze me," Klaus said, blinking back his tears. "Whether it's singing with your heart-breakingly beautiful voice or breaking hearts with your cold words. Either way, someone's heart is always shattered."

"Klaus, I didn't intend for my words to be so cruel," I told him, avoiding admitting in any way that I was, in fact, the one who was wrong. "You know that. I didn't mean to say I don't love you, because you are like a brother to me."

"That's not what I want, Thalia," he muttered, looking me in the eye. "I want you to cross the room and kiss me, then tell me you love me. It will never happen, but it is what I want."

My next words would break Klaus' heart, and that would sadden me, but they needed to be said. I don't care if I break his heart. He needs to hear what I have to say.

"Well, we don't always get what we want." I got to my feet and looked at Klaus again. "There was a time when I would've done just that, but you broke my heart. No, you tore it out of my chest and forced me to watch as you stomped on it and shredded it into a million tiny pieces. When you make what you did right, then maybe I'll be more willing to love you again."

Klaus gently bit his lip, and tears returned to his eyes. I softly smiled at him, but then I left the room. He broke my heart here in New Orleans, and he can mend it here too...


	35. A Night of Disaster

Hayley was sitting on the floor in front of me, reading one of Elijah's many journals. He gave up on them after Klaus became a hybrid, but they're still pretty important. I read them once, and Elijah wasn't even angry because he told me that everything he wrote was the truth, no matter how horrid.

This specific one was written in the mid 1300s if my memory serves me right. It interested me, but at the time it made me furious. It was about how we were losing touch with our humanity and all of that crap, but we were really just trying to find a way to cope.

 _August 1359,_

 _I have noticed a difference in my siblings, including Thalia. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus, and Thalia Ashwood, the girl we adopted when we were human. Niklaus continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Thalia is worse: sleeping with both men and women before tearing them apart because she got the information she wanted or because she was simply bored._

 _Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness._

I do not think Elijah expected it to stay dark for us. He truly believed that he could set us all on the right path, but none of us have truly changed. I now kill for fun, and I still kill both men and women. Who I do kill or sleep with makes no difference in what usually happens.

"I cannot believe you disposed of those vampires without me," Rebekah said, interrupting my thoughts. "You know how I love to set things on fire."

"Was I supposed to leave them in the front yard to rot?" Klaus asked, as they entered the room Hayley and I were sitting in. "Besides, they were my responsibility. They attacked the helpless pregnant girl who's carrying my child."

"Oh, I am so moved by your new found sense of fatherly duties towards the werewolf carrying your bun in her oven," Rebekah sneered.

"The werewolf would like to know what the plan is," Hayley interrupted.

"As would I," I added. "Maybe if you let me plan with you then you wouldn't have to tell me."

Klaus glared at me, but I just smiled back. He wasn't talking to me right now, which is fine with me. He's the one who's still in love with me, not the other way around. If he thinks that I won't use his love against him then he's a bigger fool then I thought.

"Well, that depends what you mean, love," Klaus decided. "My plan for global domination or Rebekah's plan to gind love in a cruel, cruel world?"

Rebekah picked up a pencil from the desk next to her, and then threw it at Klaus. He caught the pencil with ease, which was disappointing. I wanted to see the pencil impale his stupid, beautiful face. It would be quite funny.

"The plan to rescue Elijah," Hayley said, annoyed with the two siblings. "You know, the good brother. The one who is now in the possession of your mortal enemy after you stabbed him in the back. You two said you would get him back. So, is there a plan or what?"

"Well, firstly, Marcel is not my mortal enemy," Klaus explained. "He's my friend, albeit one who is quite unaware that I'm trying to sabotage his hold over the supernatural community of the French Quarter, but a friend nonetheless. And secondly, I daggered Elijah in order to gain Marcel's trust. If I had known he would place my brother in the hands of a particularly nasty teenage witch, I certainly would have weighed my options a bit differently."

The whole situation with the witch who has Elijah, and who wiped Rebekah's mind after knocking her unconscious, makes me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It was a great show. Basically, this little witch is a nasty version of Sabrina, and it's great.

"And thirdly, the plan, as you have demanded, is for Niklaus to simply ask Marcel for Elijah back," Rebekah finished.

"That's..." Hayley trailed off. "That's not the whole plan, is it?"

Klaus had a back-up plan, and it was probably war or some other violent act. It's his way of solving all of his problems, and I can't say it's ineffective. Seven out of ten times, his plans that involve some kind of violence actually work.

"Please, Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical," Rebekah dismissed.

"And that's only Plan A, love," Klaus reassured her. "There's always a Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Hayley questioned.

"War."

I rolled my eyes at Plan B because it was so typical of Klaus. After sneering at him, I walked out of the room and went to the library. Klaus put alcohol in here, and by Klaus, I mean I did and plan to blame it on him if anyone asks.

This little game for the French Quarter surprises me a little. It shouldn't even have to happen, but when Klaus wants something, he'll fight until he gets it. He doesn't care who gets hurt, even if it's him. He just keeps going. He would rule over ashes if that meant he could get the French Quarter back.

Although I want Klaus to take back the French Quarter because it used to belong to us, I also want it for myself. No amount of alcohol or heart break could convince me that the power I would have if I had the French Quarter is bad. It lets you rule a huge tourist spot, and it's got everything I want: money, music, fun, and mystery.

Marcel is one step ahead, and Klaus is always at least three. The thing is, I'm always ahead of them. It's my spot their fighting for, whether they know it or not. I could take all of New Orleans in one go if I really wanted to because it's not that hard. While Klaus and Marcel battle each other, anyone could take the city out from under their noses.

Klaus' love for me is also a weakness that could be used against him. However, it is a weapon that only I can wield. I'm a mean, conniving little bitch, but I won't break his heart that badly unless it's necessary. I just can't see a situation where I will have to blast his heart into a million tiny fragments.

"Do you not like my Plan B, love?" Klaus asked, sitting next to me and taking the bottle of bourbon from me. "Is it too much for your soft heart?"

"One day you'll learn how to act when your heart hurts," I told him, quietly. "Being cruel or not talking to me is not the way to go about it. Eat some ice cream and drink some booze, then get over yourself. You can't act all high and mighty when it's your fault."

"You still care for me, Thalia," Klaus insisted, looking me in the eyes. "I can see it in those oddly purple eyes of yours. Part of you still loves me, and I will prove it."

I rolled my eyes and reached for the bottle of bourbon. Klaus moved it away, and I scoffed. Normally I'd just let him keep it, but I need to go and buy more scotch and bourbon because I drunk it all. This is the last bottle of bourbon in the house, and I don't want to be the Vodka Aunt.

"Give the bourbon back, Klaus," I commanded.

"You have to get it from me."

A sigh escaped my lips, but I knew he wouldn't give it back until I got it. If I left the room, Klaus would go and hide it in one of the many empty rooms in this place. Elijah really needs to furnish some rooms. It's creepy as hell when you walk into an empty room in such a fancy place.

Klaus was smart enough to put the lid on the bourbon, so when I knocked his arm in an attempt to get my alcohol back, it didn't spill. I tried to reach for it again, but Klaus just laughed at me. I laughed too, as it was kind of fun and it was clear that both of us felt pretty carefree.

I swung a leg over Klaus, with the intention to climb over him. With a grin on my face, I reached for the bottle of bourbon, but it was just out of reach. Then I looked at Klaus and saw the soft look on his face. It was an adoring look, and I could see how much he truly cared for me.

Before I could even comprehend what I was doing, my lips were on Klaus'. He must've put the bourbon down because I felt his hands on my waist. As I tilted my head to deepen the kiss, I moved my hands from his shoulders to tangle them in his hair, which I lightly tugged.

As I pressed myself right against him, and a moan left Klaus' lips. I grinned, and he chose that moment to slip his tongue into my mouth and move his hands a little lower down. Klaus stood up, so I wrapped my legs around his waist.

We continued to kiss feverishly as he turned around, and placed me down on the couch. There was a devilish smirk on Klaus' face as he pushed me back and crawled over the top of me. I slid my hands under his shirt and ran them up and down his chest before moving them to his back.

"Glad to see you two kissed and made up, but we have things to do," Rebekah said, making me jump a little. "If you want to get into each other's pants so bad, then go and do it in a bed, and not in the bloody library."

Klaus sighed and got up. I sat up and fixed my hair before grinning at Rebekah. It would've been nice if she hadn't of interrupted, but she was right. Both her and Klaus had a part to play in their little plan, and I had to buy a dress for tonight's masquerade ball. I would buy a mask too, but I don't like them much.

Seeing how me staying and listening to them plan would make it even more awkward, I walked out of the room. I could feel Klaus' eyes watching me, and I grinned. Hayley scoffed as I passed her, and I let the grin drop.

Target practice is always fun, and it's even better when you have vampires to practice on. Three of the _'nightwalkers'_ as Marcel calls them were trailing me, so I snapped their necks and put them in my car. I brought them back here, and now I'm going to use them as target practice.

Klaus thinks he's the only one who has some of Marcel's vampires working for him, but he's wrong. At least, he's _going_ to be wrong if any of the vampires with me right now actually survive. I think they might, but you just never know.

All three of them were chained up, and they all had an annoyed look on their faces. They didn't know who I am, and I don't plan to tell them just yet. Maybe if they didn't all act and look like the stereotypical white boy when camo pants were a thing then I might tell them my name and where they are... Or maybe not.

"So, this is how it's going to work: you're all target practice for me and if you survive this then you get to go home," I told them. "Your torture might last a few hours or a few days or a few months. It just depends on how I feel and what happens to me and this house. If it burns down and you all die, then that's what happens."

They looked at me as if I was crazy, and I suppose I am. According to Klaus, who for some reason has a degree in criminal profiling, I'm a high functioning psychopath. There was no surprise there, seeing as I don't feel regret when I kill people and I enjoy it most of the time. Once or twice I've felt a bit bad about it.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but Marcel's going to hunt you down and kill you!" One of them - who I believe is called Kayden - hissed while pulling at his restraints. "The punishment for killing another vampire is going to the garden, but it's death if you kill more then one of us!"

"I'm an Original," I said, calmly. "We made him what he is. We made this city. If you think he can kill me, even with that witch of his, then you're even more stupid then I thought. Now, if you don't shut up then I'll rip your tongue out of your head! How about that for a threat?"

"You can't do this!" Another one of them insisted. He was conveniently named Hayden, which is good. "You're crazy! HELP! SOMEONE HELP US!"

A smile appeared on my face as I stepped closer to him. Hopefully he can see the menace behind it or this defeats the purpose. He's going to get his tongue ripped out of his head, and it's all his fault. This other Hayden will suffer the way the other should've.

Before anyone could think about what I was going to do, I grabbed one of the chains holding this guy up. He went to say something, but then I grabbed his tongue and ripped it out of his head. It was slimy and gross, but I followed through on my threat.

I waved his tongue in front of his face before dropping it to the ground. I would make sure to use the most power on this one. An informant with no tongue is a worthless informant. He was crying anyway, and I'm sure it was for his mother.

"That was really gross," I told him, wiping my hand on his shirt and then walking away. "Do you have a saliva problem or something? I would tell you to get it checked out, but you're not going to live for that long a time anyway. I'm not a fan of tearing people's tongues out, but I had to because you spoke."

"Thalia, do you have to torture people in the basement?" Klaus asked. "Or is this target practice? It is, isn't it? Never mind. Just know that you have to be ready for the ball within the next hour."

All I did was wink at Klaus. He blushed a little before leaving the room as quickly as I could. All three of the vampires were silent now, including the one with no tongue. He can still make noise, but it's not very loud.

They began to scream when shadows lifted up from the floor and my eyes went black. In fact, they all prayed for their lives. Their prayers weren't answered because the next moment there were shadows ripping through them.

I wore a red bandage bodycon dress that perfectly fit my body. It pushed my breasts up, which I knew meant there would be stares from everyone and they would either slut shame me or say I look hot. It reached my knees, and I wore black heels with it, which made my legs look great.

Seeing how this was another one of those dresses where the accessories and make-up are the things that make the outfit shine, I had curled my hair and put on a little bit of eyeliner. I wore the tree necklace that my mother gave me, my daylight ring, and my black diamond ring.

Klaus and Rebekah had left before me because I needed to shower after ripping that vampire's tongue out. As soon as I was actually ready, they left without me. I just shrugged it off and told Hayley that I was going too.

Now I'm walking into the masquerade ball alone, so I made sure to seem extra confident. I basically strutted in, as if I were on the catwalk, and I made sure that my head was held high. A few men stared at me rather openly, and I glanced at them before continuing on.

When I saw Klaus with the bartender Camille, my confidence almost dropped. If I weren't such a falsely confident person then I'm sure someone would've noticed. Another thing I can do is act confident, and if you act confident for long enough then you begin to believe that you are.

"Who is she?" Camille asked Klaus, as I walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of scotch.

"That would be Thalia Ashwood," Klaus informed her. "She's an old friend of mine."

"I think I've served her before," Camille told him, making me smirk. "She's really beautiful. I'm surprised no one has gone up to her yet."

I turned around and saw how uncomfortable Klaus now was. I smirked to myself again and wandered a bit further into the crowd.

This was certainly a crazy party. Confetti was falling near the front of the room, people were handling exotic animals, and acrobats were performing. On top of all that, there were people almost everywhere. I wonder how Marcel got the money for all of this. He probably compelled everyone actually.

Klaus was walking in my direction as I headed over to the far corner of the room. I saw the grin on his face and I almost laughed. There's no way I'm wasting this outfit by hooking up with him so early in the night, and he's got something planned for later on.

He finally reached me, and I placed my now-empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter and thanked them. It must really suck to be at this party, with people who take no notice of the fact that actual people are serving them. Everyone deserves respect, but most people here wouldn't realize that.

"You certainly draw all of the attention towards yourself," Klaus said, placing a hand on my waist and looking me in the eyes. "Although I enjoy having you to myself, I do have to go soon, love." He moved closer, so his hot breath was hitting the back of my neck and making it tingle. "I want to tear that dress off of you and make you scream my name in pleasure."

I know Klaus well enough to know that he was grinning, but I was looking at the ground. He made me blush, and I really don't like it. I am fire. I am death. I do not blush over the incredibly seductive words of a very attractive, very powerful man.

My reaction to this should not determine my worth, but it does to some people. Some people here will already consider me a whore, and others will still question me. Seeing me blush at Klaus' words or his proximity will further convince them I'm a whore, and it sucks.

"I want you to do exactly that, Mr Mikaelson," I muttered, placing a hand on his chest as I looked him in the eye. "I await it. You know where to find me if you wish for such things to happen tonight."

After giving Klaus a lust-filled look, I kissed him on the cheek and walked away. He had to look away from me and clear his throat, which made me laugh. One man came over to speak to me, but I pushed him out of my way and kept walking.

Something went on with Marcel and his right hand man, Thierry. They had just left the compound, and because it was my old home, I knew where the nearest window was. I used my heightened speed to get upstairs and go to one of the windows that looked out, onto the street. Klaus was there, so we just watched.

Marcel and a group of his men led Thierry outside and onto the street. There was a rather small group of vampires already there, and a furious witch began to storm down the street. She was chanting, and I knew Klaus had planned for something like this to go down.

"Katie, no!" Thierry yelled, as his girlfriend waved her arm.

A lamp exploded, which was rude of her. The fact that all of the vampires on the street were grabbing their heads because of the pain didn't matter. She exploded some poor lamp that was just lighting the way. What did the lamp ever do to her.

I watched as Marcel got to his feet, which was odd because everyone else was down. Another innocent lamp exploded and Marcel went down again, grabbing his head. A laugh almost passed my lips, but I held it back.

Even more magic could be felt in the air, and Marcel managed to rise again. This witch, Katie, used her magic to break some of his bones so he fell again. He rose again somehow, and we were all surprised by this.

"You're here to save your man," Marcel stated. "Well, come on, little girl!"

Marcel growled and then ran to attack Katie, but she stopped him with magic and he fell down. He was either on the ground or standing up, but there was no action. This was a boring fight until Katie pulled out a stake and raised it above Marcel's weak body.

"Die, you son of a bitch!" Katie exclaimed.

"No!" Thierry screamed, but it was too late. "Katie! Don't!"

Klaus left my side and was on the street a second later. He snapped the witches' neck, and she fell to the ground, clearly very dead. Thierry got up and ran over to the body of his dead lover and began to cradle her dead body and cry. It was like a soap opera and it bored me, but interested me too.

This sours the night for sure, so I decided to go home. At least it was a good plan. Now Marcel trusts Klaus and because Klaus saved his life, he owes him. Klaus is smart enough to make that favor Elijah because the only other person who could match how diabolical he is, is me.

I was sitting in my room and my door wasn't locked for once. Maybe Klaus knew that because he just let himself in. Despite the fact that I was wearing a tank top and short shorts, his eyes weren't immediately drawn to my body, so something must be up.

He locked the door and sat on the bed beside me. There was a clear look of sadness in his eyes, so I turned to face him. His handsome face carried such a strong sadness that it made me want to wrap him up in a blanket and hug him.

"Do I ever disgust you?" Klaus asked, quietly. "I want the truth."

"No," I told him, honestly. "If I were to be disgusted by you, then I'd have to be disgusted by myself and anyone who does whatever it takes to get what they want and protect those they love. Darkness is so often drawn to other darkness, Klaus."

"Thalia, do you actually have feelings for me or do you just like the feeling of me kissing you?" Klaus questioned, looking me in the eyes. "You told me you didn't and almost broke my heart, but then you act like you love me to a degree."

Klaus didn't move as I moved my hand to touch his face. He let me cup his face, and just remained eye contact. When I leaned in, his eyes fluttered closed. Mine did the same thing when my lips met his and all of my feelings for him were shown.

Some things can't be said, and this kiss shows it. All of my lust and longing for what Klaus and I once had was in this kiss, and so was all of my love for him. I don't love him in the romantic kind of way, but I do like him in that way.

He pulled away and looked me in the eyes again. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulled me against his chest, and then laid down with me. I don't know how he did it, but he moved the blankets on top of us, and then I turned to face him as he took his shirt off.

"I'm sorry for breaking your heart last time we were here," Klaus apologized, surprising me. "Love like that was new to me, and I didn't know what to do. You shouldn't have had to put your life on the line, just for me. We should've protected each other."

"Goodnight Klaus."


	36. Target Practice

Everyone else has some reason to be in New Orleans, but I don't. Maybe that's why I'm happy with just standing here and torturing these three vampires. Klaus is staying for his child and to get power, Hayley can't leave yet, and Rebekah won't leave until she gets Elijah back.

Why am I here? Family? Possible hot sex with Klaus? There's no way I can just slot myself into any of their plans and it really sucks. Sure, I could stay home and watch over Hayley, but I'd rather be partying and drinking until I'm actually drunk.

I'm pushing myself with this target practice, all because I have nothing better to do. I haven't fed in two days, and normally that's fine, but I can't keep this up. Using this much power drains me pretty quickly, but I have to learn to deal with it.

The one who didn't have a tongue gave up fighting about an hour ago, but the other two keep trying to break free. These chains are hard to break and they won't be able to do it because they're so weak. I'm not an amateur like the Salvatores, who used _ropes_ on Elena.

Today I've learned how to use the shadows on myself. I cut my palm open and focused on the shadows rising. They didn't heal my hand, but when I went to cut it again, it was difficult to break through the little barrier.

Hayden, Kayden and Lucas were all incredibly shocked when they saw this. In fact, Hayden fainted. It didn't look comfortable to be unconscious while chained up, but I didn't bother waking him up. That's a waste of my time.

I heard footsteps and turned to see a furious-looking Rebekah. She glared at me, and then at the young men who were chained up behind me. As soon as she moved forward, to run at me, Klaus was in her way and pushed her back. I just sighed and waited for someone to explain what was going on.

"Don't you dare tell her!" Klaus hissed, narrowing his eyes at Rebekah. "Do it and I'll put a dagger in your heart!"

"You don't have them," Rebekah pointed out, angrily. "Thalia deserves to know that her ex is upstairs right now. She should be the one who decides whether or not he gets ripped to shreds."

Before Klaus could stop me, I ran past him and up the stairs. I got to the parlour a second before he did, and I could tell he was furious. When I looked around, I saw that no one was even here.

Rebekah reached us, but I just walked past her, as fury ran through my veins. There had been no one here and it was probably some elaborate plan of theirs to make sure that I don't have any fun. Maybe I should just leave and go back to Mystic Falls. I still have some feelings for Will, so I'd be fine.

"Thalia, you know that the Dauphine Street Festival is on tonight, right?" Klaus asked. "Rebekah's searching for Elijah, and I'm coming up with a plan, so I want you to attend that and make sure no one can do anything to harm my family. We must have an informant on all fronts."

"Whatever you say, _Niklaus_ ," I agreed, venom dripping from my words. "I wasn't going to go to have fun or anything. I would _never_ have fun and ruin your precious little plans to get New Orleans back."

"Do not use that tone with me!" Klaus snapped. "Marcel stole our empire."

"Whatever, old man." I knew I was angering Klaus, but he can't hurt me and I don't care. "It's not like we lost New Orleans fair and square because we fled for the hundredth time in a century instead of fighting back." This time I looked Klaus in the eyes. "Marcel's done a better job then you ever did."

Klaus rushed at me, but I covered myself in shadows before he could get to me. He wanted to snap my neck, but instead I gripped him by the throat and lifted him off of his feet. Rebekah just watched, clearly curious as to what I was going to do or say.

An idea came to mind, and I slowly let the shadows slide into Klaus, while still attached to me. Then I slowly drained Klaus of energy. It was an odd feeling, but it felt good.

I felt powerful for the first time in too long, and it sort of scared me. When I let Klaus go, I saw that veins had begun to creep down his arms and up his neck. He fell back and looked up at me, and I think I saw actual fear for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with anger.

Before I could enjoy the fear Klaus showed, I had to leave or he would snap my neck and ruin my moment. No one upstages me. _Ever_.

I wore a maroon dress with lace on it. The skirt of it went to mid-thigh and flared out a bit, and the sleeves went to just below my elbows. Part of the dress - the part that wasn't lace - had a heart-shaped neckline. The sleeves and above that were only lace, and it had a very thin black belt with it.

My heels were black, and my hair was curled. I had eyeliner on, but instead of winging it, I just put it on normally. My lips were naturally red right now, and I wore my tree necklace, as well as my two rings. Then I put on my plain silver bracelet.

Walking down Dauphine Street, I could feel the stares. There was a mix of all kinds of music, and I honestly loved it. Music's my passion, and it always has been. Klaus found out that art was his escape, and music is mine. Elijah once called us the perfect artsy couple. He was _so_ wrong.

I spotted Marcel with a teenage girl who radiated power. She was pretty, and couldn't be older then sixteen. Her brown hair was slightly wavy, and her dark blue-grey eyes shone with excitement.

Davina and Marcel walked into a bar, and I went to follow them, but I was distracted. A young man was playing his violin, and he was incredibly talented. He was a street performer, and when the song finished, I gave him ten dollars. I don't know what he played, but it was certainly beautiful.

Finding Davina wasn't hard, and she was now sitting by herself. I walked over to her, and smiled at Cami. They were standing together, and Marcel was across the room. My issue wasn't Cami or even Davina, it was Marcel. His eyes never left me and it was annoying.

"Hello, Cami," I greeted, sitting next to Davina. "You must be Davina, Marcel's _friend_. I'm Thalia Ash-"

"I know who you are," she cut-off. "Cami, can I talk to my friend alone please?" As soon as the blonde bartender was gone, there was a sharp pain in my head, but I ignored it. "What do you want? You're an Old One, and I'm just a witch."

"You're a harvest girl," I said, ordering a drink. "I knew the witches of New Orleans when I lived here. They taught me what they knew, including the ritual you escaped. Between you and me, I think you need to look out for Klaus. He's up to something, and whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Thalia, what are you doing here?" Marcel asked, interrupting us. "And why are you talking to Davina? You're the one Original I'll let in here, and the agreement was that you don't harass anyone."

My eyes met Marcel's, and I just smiled. He had called me about an hour ago to tell me that I was the only Original allowed to come to this festival. I know he doesn't trust me, but I'm still better then Klaus.

There's no way in hell that I'm doing Klaus' bidding. He's handsome and all, but a girl has to look out for herself. I don't let myself get wrapped around anyone's little finger, and that's what Klaus is trying to do. _No one_ upstages me.

The bartender handed me my drink, so I took a sip. It was just whiskey, which isn't my favourite, but I didn't really mind. The liquid warmed my throat for not even a second before what should feel like a burn was gone.

"I'm making friends," I covered. "You should try it some time. Now, if you'd excuse me, I think I saw a karaoke bar when I arrived, so I'm going to go there. It was nice meeting you, Davina."

I walked off, and actually walked out the door, but then listened in. All Marcel did was ask Davina about what I'd really said, and she lied for me. Well, it was only half a lie because I was actually being nice to her. She just lied and told him I told her to be careful here.

There really was a karaoke bar here, so I entered that. Music clashed as I opened the door, but when I shut it again, someone was singing Stay by Rihanna and Mikky Echo. They were incredibly off-tune, but I clapped for them when they finished anyway.

Another person went up after a minute of waiting for someone else. I went to look at the song list, and smiled a little. I picked my song, and then waited for this person to finish.

There was a guy with dark hair and a handsome face across the room, and he looked a lot like Will. I looked away and waited for this person to finish singing some tacky 80s love song. If I'm going to sing, I need to be focused and if I'm not focused then I'm going to sound bad.

The woman finished singing, so I walked up, onto the stage. Everyone was staring at me now, and I felt a little nervous. I chose the song Dream by Imagine Dragons. It's something I can relate to, and it's just a really good song. The chorus is hard to sing without being too loud, but I managed it.

When I finished, the entire room was silent. Then they began to applaud me and I smiled. Before anyone could speak to me, I left the bar and stood outside. A few people followed me outside to speak to me, but it was someone else who caught my eye - Will.

"Hey, Thalia," he greeted, smiling a little. "That was amazing. I didn't know you could sing so well."

Will's oddly dark eyes shone with a sadness that I'd never seen on his face before. We began to walk down the street, and towards the end of it. Maybe he was the one who was at The Plantation earlier today.

"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me because you didn't stay," I told him, not meaning to sound so cold. "You know, I don't easily feel things for people, especially not romantic attraction. The image of you is burned into my brain, and I just want to forget about it."

"That's why I came here when Klaus offered," Will said, surprising me. "I can't just leave without knowing it was an official ending to what we had. He even offered to let me stay with you guys, so I did."

Something felt off about all of this. There was a blank look in his eyes after he told me why he came back. Before I could move, Klaus had his hands on my neck and I felt it snap before everything went black...


	37. What The Hell?

My head hurt and wherever I was, it was dark and hard to breathe. Actually, I can't even see a thing. It's like I'm in some kind of box, as there's a wall above my head, at my feet, and to each of my sides.

You'd think that the dagger in my heart would be the first thing I'd notice, but it wasn't. However, I do know it's there now and it's annoying me. I went to move my arm to take the dagger out, but then my hand gently hit a velvet roof and I realized exactly where I was.

Klaus had snapped my neck and then put me in a bloody coffin! If the dagger had've worked - which it obviously didn't because then the coffin wouldn't be closed - then who knows how long I would've been in here for! When I get out of here, I'm going to demand the truth from Will and then kick Klaus' ass!

Furiously, I kicked the coffin lid off and then sat up, yanking the white oak dagger out of my chest while I was at it. I was really hungry, so I was gonna have to eat first, but that doesn't matter. Maybe I'll feed off of Will if he knew this was going to happen.

I felt a pain in my head and growled, letting my fangs slip out. When I turned my head, ignoring the pain, I saw that it was Davina who was using her witchy powers on me. My fangs disappeared and I sighed, knowing she was probably just doing what she was told.

When I finally got my senses back, I saw that Elijah was here too. He looked as weak as I felt, and it clearly surprised him that I could easily get out of the coffin and act as if nothing had happened. When I see Klaus, I'm going to snap all the bones in his body before I snap his neck.

"Ugh," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "How bad do I look?"

"How are you awake?" Davina asked, confused. "Klaus gave me your body as some kind of peace offering, and now you're awake. Is he trying to kill me?"

"No, but I'm considering killing him," I said, dusting off my dress, which was now ruined by the blood and the hole in it from when I got stabbed. "I'm sure I interrupted some kind of diplomatic meeting, so I'm just going to go. Do you mind? I'm sure you don't."

Before either Elijah or Davina could stop me, I used my last bit of strength to leave the attic. I ended up in the middle of a church that radiated some kind of dark power. A lot of people must've died here, and in a pretty terrible way.

Moving so quickly severely weakened me, and I stumbled forward before falling to my knees. I coughed, and I'm sure that if I had more then one measly drop of blood in my system, I would be coughing that up. I need to feed soon, or I'll end up desiccating.

Someone rushed over to me, to see if I was alright. I looked up and saw a man in his mid-forties maybe. His veins were pumping, and I could basically smell his blood and hear the blood rushing through his body. It took all of my self-control not to kill him then and there.

Whoever this man was, he was dressed like a priest. His blue eyes showed a kind of sadness that I only see when I look in the mirror and let my mask of confidence and happiness fall. He looked kind, but I know better then to trust someone based off their appearance. After all, people think I'm an angel until I kill them just because I'm another pretty face.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked, helping me up. "I didn't see you there before. I'm Father Kieran."

"Well, I just got here," I told him, taking a step away from him so I didn't repay his small kindness with a torn jugular. "I woke up in the attic, and left before the witch could stop me. I-I need to go."

"You're Thalia Ashwood," he stated, unsurprisingly turning hostile. "Marcel warned me that he was keeping you up there. I'm meant to put you down if you escape, but he doesn't call the shots in my church. Go before someone else sees you."

I went to walk out, but then I stumbled again. On instinct, Father Kieran reached out to catch me. He made a mistake, and I almost bit into his wrist and sucked him dry. My fangs slipped out, but I forced them back and moved away.

"I need blood, and you're a walking blood-bag," I pointed out, weakly. "It's pretty clear that I need blood or I'm going to desiccate, so you might want to leave the church until my friend gets here with some blood. You seem nice, and I'm feeling like a nice person, so I'm not going to kill you. I suggest you go."

Father Kieran hurried away, and I stumbled over to one of the pews. I took a seat and pulled out my phone. Thankfully, it still had some battery, so I texted Will and just waited.

My entire body ached and my veins felt like sandpaper. It was hard to focus on one thing because my senses were on over-drive, trying to find a source of blood. I won't desiccate for at least three more days without blood, but the waiting process is painful. It's happened to me once before, and I still remember how much I hated it and how painful it was.

Honestly, I was so out of it that hours could've passed, or it could've just been seconds. I can hear Davina's blood pulsing and the rush of it coursing through her veins. Her blood smelled bitter and metal-like, but to a vampire it's a sweet smell. It's the smell of life and the smell of my source of food.

The doors to the church were pushed open and I could smell the blood of those out on the streets. I could hear their hearts pumping blood through their bodies, and the way they spoke in all different tones. When the doors shut again, the noise became a lot fainter.

I could sense someone coming closer, but I couldn't be bothered with moving. If I knew them, I wouldn't tear them apart. If I don't, I'll take them out of the church to kill them. I may be a cold-hearted bitch, but I do respect every religion and their sacred spaces unless I have to take action.

This person radiated the power only a witch could, and smelled exactly like Will. He always smelled faintly of pine, but mainly of the fancy cologne he wears, which actually smells good and not like a waste of money. I could assume this was the warlock, as he stopped at my feet and stifled a laugh, but I knew he was grinning.

"Are you going to give me some blood or are you going to laugh at my pain?" I asked, more than mildly annoyed. "My agitation is heightened right now and so is my hunger, so it won't be my fault if I tear your throat out."

I sat up and saw Will grinning at me, with a blood bag in his hand. One should last, but they're always cold and I hate cold blood. I prefer to get it from the vein of a living, breathing human, even if it means killing them to become full.

He was so undeniably handsome that it hurt to look at him, but I couldn't help but focus on the veins in his neck. Will noticed, and his oddly dark eyes met my own. His teeth must've been whitened because his smile was almost blindingly white.

Will was kind enough to toss me the blood bag. I ripped the cap off of it and drunk it hungrily, but I made sure not to get any drops of blood on the carpet. Something tells me that more than enough blood has been spilled here.

"You're still hungry," Will pointed out, as I licked the remaining blood off of my lips. "Do you want some more blood?"

Before I could respond, he pulled out a knife from seemingly nowhere. He pressed it to his throat and slit it as I ran to stop him. I could see the glassy look in his eyes, and I knew that this was Klaus' doing.

A cry left my throat as I bit my wrist and pressed it to Will's mouth, forcing him to feed. With my other hand, I placed it over the cut on his throat. Once Will had a bit of my blood, I saw that it wouldn't work fast enough, and licked the wound, hoping my venom would work in time.

He was bleeding out quickly, and if I weren't so old I would've drained him by now. I felt the wound closing up, so I gave Will a bit more of my blood. It would replace all of the blood he's missing quick enough anyway.

Will began to cough and splutter, but the cut across his neck was healed. I was on my knees, so I fell back and sat on the ground. My legs were sort sprawled out on the floor, and Will was holding his throat. Before he could even figure out what had happened, I threw the knife towards the door.

I turned my head and saw Klaus there, with a cold smirk on his face. The knife had been aimed at him, and somehow he had grabbed it's hilt. I sensed him in the room, and I had hoped he didn't expect the knife.

"I knew you still cared about him," Klaus stated. "I wasn't too sure you would keep him human in time, though. That was _very_ close, love."

Quickly, I got to my feet and rushed at Klaus. I'm physically stronger then him, so I lifted him off of his feet, and held onto his neck. I let my fangs slip out for just a second, but then I glared at him and held back a sneer as Klaus clawed at my arm.

Seeing how I still need a bit more practice with my shadows, I decided to let them enter Klaus' body through his throat. He began to gag and the grey veins that are usually hidden appeared. A strangled yelp of pain left him as the shadows travelled through his blood stream, but then I threw him back.

Klaus jumped to his feet, and I flicked my hands up. A wave of shadows dragged him forward, and he fell to his knees before me. They pierced his chest and he yelled in pain. Then I kicked Klaus in the face, and he fell back.

Just to make this even more dramatic, I pulled him to his feet by grabbing the collar of his shirt. Then I let his shirt go, and just glared at Klaus. I knew that my eyes had gone black, and that they were now going back to usual, but it's still intimidating.

"Never harm my friends!" I hissed. "Do it again, and I'll show you what I can _really_ do!"

I walked away from Klaus before he could say or do anything. Will came with me, and I was glad to say that my neck wasn't snapped this time...


	38. Finding

To say that I'm an impulsive bitch half the time and a cunning bitch the other half is incredibly correct. It's foolish for someone as powerful and old as me to give it all up because she cares too much, and I know that. I like the fear that people so obviously feel when I'm in the same room as them. No, I _love it_.

However, I'm one thousand and nineteen, and get lonely. I still feel everything and I remember everything that's happened to me since I was four. Things still hurt me, and sometimes even living is difficult.

When I develop feelings for someone, I either ignore them or I let myself fall hard. With Will, I'm not too sure what I'm going to do. He is everything I once wanted to be, but he is fragile and so incredibly human. I could break him in half without trying.

I might not know what to do, but that didn't stop me from spending a day and a half in bed with him. When I say in bed, I don't mean getting comfortable, wrapping ourselves in blankets, and then watching re-runs of Law and Order: SVU. I mean we had sex multiple times.

If I'm going to be entirely honest, the only reason we're not still going at it is because my room is starting to smell like sex, and soon Klaus will find out. When he does find out, he's either not going to care or get very angry. I don't really want to take my chances.

Will and I had showered together, and after almost having shower-sex, we actually did have a proper shower together. In fact, we just finished making out, and I think it's time to leave this room. Someone must've heard us by now, and they're going to get suspicious.

Thinking back on why we first started making out a day and a half ago makes me grin, which isn't the best thing because I've just washed my sheets and I'm going to get dinner now. It was an impulsive move on both our parts, actually. He was teasing me and we were play fighting, like little kids would. Then we did something that you'd hope most little kids don't know about.

"Thalia!" Klaus boomed, suddenly appearing in front of me. "Where is Hayley?! What did you do with her?!"

"I don't know where she is, but you need to chill," I said. "I'm sure she's just outside or something."

"She's missing, you foolish child!" Klaus screamed, slamming me against the wall and holding me up by my throat. "You were the only other one home! You were meant to look after her!"

Klaus dropped me, and Will was shoved into the room by a furious Elijah. He was shaking, and his face was cut and bruised. I shoved Klaus away and moved to Will's side, making sure he was alright.

Elijah had punched Will pretty hard, and I'm honestly surprised that his nose isn't bleeding. His eyebrow has a cut on it though, and there's a bruise on his jaw. I bit into my wrist and let Will drink a few drops. Then I turned back to the two Mikaelson brothers, and glared at them.

"What the actual hell?!" I snapped. "First of all, I stopped being a child while you were both still learning how to fight, and I'm smarter then you both so if I'm a fool then I don't want to know what you both are! Second, don't bring Will into this again, or I'll kick both your asses simultaneously!"

When Klaus stepped towards Will, I kicked him in the balls, and then punched Elijah in the face, just to show I was serious. Klaus went down, groaning in pain. Even as an immortal vampire, it still hurts to get kicked in the balls, especially when a fellow immortal vampire puts all their strength behind it.

"I warned you," I stated, leaning against a wall. "Don't try anything. Now, if she's not here, I think we should go to Marcel and see if he has her. After all, it's _his_ empire that Klaus wants."

As Klaus got back up, I saw him glare at Will. There was a brief moment where I knew that Klaus was planning to kill Will, but he was smart enough to stop himself. If not, I would've actually kicked his ass.

"We must go immediately," Elijah insisted, becoming impatient. "Also, Thalia, if you ever punch me again, I'll break your warlocks' neck before you can blink. I give you my word on that. Now let's go."

Elijah and Klaus took off, leaving me with Will. I handed him the pizza company's flyer, kissed him, and then followed the two Original Assholes. One day I'm going to put a dagger in Klaus, and then kick Elijah's ass for thinking he can boss me around and act as if he's better then everyone.

Unsurprisingly, we ended up at the Compound, which was where Marcel once lived. We lived here once two, and we were a family when Klaus wasn't putting a dagger in Kol's heart. Klaus really hasn't changed much since then. I think he's a little more bloodthirsty though.

I can't wait for the day that I can show Klaus and Elijah that they're so much weaker then me. Both of them treat me like crap, which is surprising when it's the noble brother too. Only Kol and Rebekah ever treated me properly, and Finn did until we became vampires.

There was a time that each brother was in love with me, but not at the same time. I slept with Elijah once, but I fell in love with Klaus. I sure as hell won't make that mistake again, and if I ever do, I'll just walk away. Breaking my own heart is better then letting him have control over me.

As for the ever-noble Elijah, he just acted like he was better then me. I'm ready to do almost anything to stay ahead, and that makes me a bad person in his eyes. Because I'm not his sibling, he doesn't think I'm worth forgiving. I'm just some murderer who started as a kid and never stopped.

Without even discussing the plan, Klaus and Elijah entered the courtyard. Klaus walked behind the female vampire, who was still standing, and then snapped her neck. That silenced the room, and I was able to walk over to them without fighting anyone.

"Good evening!" Klaus announced. "I'd like a word."

"What do you think you're doing?" Marcel asked, clearly very annoyed.

"It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs!" Elijah exclaimed, glancing at me for a second. "We've come here for the girl. Give her to us, or we'll kill everyone here... starting with you."

"We were them once," I whispered, so only Elijah and Klaus could hear. "He clearly doesn't have her."

Elijah's words affected me more then they should've. I remember being a _'filthy amateur'_ as if it had only just been yesterday. I almost died because I was one of them. Then we became vampires, and I was an amateur all over again.

Also, it was clear that Marcel didn't have Hayley. If he did, his men would be attacking us right now. In fact, he wouldn't have even held this event. He would be hiding her, and wouldn't seem as calm and confident as he is. Marcel's a good liar, but you can tell when he has something to hide.

"You three got a lot of nerve, coming into _my_ home and making demands," Marcel grumbled.

"The girl!" Elijah snapped. "I will not ask again."

Elijah's impatience was ruining my good mood. I wish I was at home, eating pizza and having a good time. Well, we'd probably be doing it on the couch or kitchen bench or something, but it'd still be fun.

"I assume you're talking about Hayley," Marcel stated. "Yay high, dark hair, bitchy attitude? Who is she anyway?"

"She's an old friend," Klaus informed Marcel, threateningly. "You know how sentimental I am about old friends."

"Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight. I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And, imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence. Your girl, Hayley, answered the door, we exchanged hellos, that was it. You don't believe me? Look around. Hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question that I'd ask is: if Hayley isn't here, then where is she?"

Marcel's Nightwalkers cleared out pretty quickly, apart from a few who still stuck around. I noticed that Marcel pulled out his phone before walking into another room. Hopefully he's calling someone who can help us find Hayley. A capable witch who Klaus won't happily kill maybe.

Seeing how I have a bit of spare time, I decided to use my shadows. Those vampires I'd been practising on where all killed by Klaus. It was a little harsh, if you ask me. They'd made pretty good company and weren't _that_ bad when I'd kidnapped them. I made them nicer people too.

Klaus and Elijah took a seat as shadows rose out of the ground and began to twist around one of the pillars. I didn't intend for them to kill the plants, but they did. The vampire near there jumped back and left the room, muttering something about demons.

I then moved the shadows so they wrapped around my hand. It hurt other people when it happened to them, but not me. The shadows interested me, truthfully. When we get Hayley back, I'm going to convince Klaus to let me look at his mother's grimoires and then I'm going to find out more about this magic.

When I was a child, I sure as hell didn't have this specific type of magic. If I did, I would've known and wouldn't have been so surprised when I could use it after I first became a vampire. Although Esther so cruelly stripped me of the shadows, I wasn't angry. I wasn't in control and I killed people with them. That won't happen again.

Focusing on one of the roses near me, I let the shadows wrap around it. The rose began to wilt, but then I focused on the shadows binding with it. It came back to life, and when the shadows faded away, the rose was now black and the stem was an incredibly dark green.

"Shadow magic is dangerous," someone announced, as they entered the room.

Marcel walked in with a few other vampires and a witch, who I do believe is called Sabine. She was the one who spoke to me, so I shot her a grin. Surely she knows something about this, and maybe she knows enough to explain it to me.

"I haven't met a witch who can use shadows before," Marcel stated. "Now, I preferred you in that box, Elijah. However, Klaus is my sire and I always show respect to my elders. I'm going to grant you one locator spell, seeing how I control the witches in the Quarter. Sabina's the best guide here. Need to find someone? I guarantee, she's your girl."

As Marcel turned around to leave and go do his own thing, Klaus' facial expression very quickly turned to confusion. Once again, Klaus suspects that everything is going to be about him. He forgets that Marcel has a city to run. A city that was once Klaus'.

"Where are you going?" Klaus questioned.

"The sun's coming up soon," Marcel pointed out. "My nightwalkers need to get inside, and I've got a city to run. I'll leave you to track down your lost sheep."

"Can you find her?" Elijah asked, as Marcel walked off.

"I can try," Sabine said, sounding a little unsure. I'm surprised that Elijah didn't get angry and kill her for not being sure.

I listened for Marcel, and heard him in a few rooms over. I'm going to go and speak to him after Elijah and Klaus leave for the Bayou. They'll take a car, so if I want to, I'll easily be able to catch up with them just by using my heightened speed.

As I thought of what I was going to say to Marcel, Klaus cut his hand and let his blood drip onto a map. I didn't pay any attention to what they were doing, and instead pulling the rose off of the vine. The thorns on it were even longer and sharper now, which was interesting.

Sabine began to chant, and a soft breeze blew through the room. The blood moved to where Hayley was, which was deep in the Bayou. There's a pack of werewolves out there, and if they ever trigger the curse, they're stuck in wolf-form until the full moon, which is when they become human again.

Unlike the other Originals, I kept tabs on what was happening in New Orleans. Marcel might not entirely trust me, but he knows I don't want his empire. When he first took it for himself, I guided him. If that doesn't prove that I don't want it for a reason other than to piss off Klaus, then I don't know what does.

Klaus and Elijah walked out, without even bothering to tell me. I guess they were annoyed about me attacking them. Their loss, not mine. They'll just lose an incredibly good tracker and the best fighter of all of the Originals, including Mikael.

I wonder if Davina can sense when I use my magic? I doubt she can because Marcel hasn't come after me for it yet, and he hasn't told me to stop. He doesn't know, and that means his super witch doesn't either. Davina's nice, but unreasonably powerful for such a young girl.

"Thalia Ashwood, you're the most dangerous person in New Orleans right now," Sabine stated. "Apart from Davina, of course. Although, your powers will be equal soon. You should do some research on shadow magic. I was once told a story about how Esther bound yours, so you would stay a vampire."

Before I could say anything in return, Sabine muttered some words and then blew some kind of powder onto me. When I went to smell it, to see what it was, it didn't work. The Nightwalkers in the room all turned to stare at me, and one of their faces vamped-out.

"What have you done to me?!" I asked, furiously. "Where have my senses gone?! Answer me, witch!"

"I cannot bind your shadows, but I can make you half-human for five days without using a suspicious amount of magic," Sabine explained. "Kill me, and it may never wear off. Enjoy being human. You're less of a threat that way."

"Oh, you fool." A cold laugh left my lips, because if I'm even half-human, I'm a powerful witch. "Phesmatos superous em animi!"

Sabine dropped to her knees, clutching her head. She yelled in pain, and I smirked as she glared at me. Her nose started to bleed, so I stopped the spell before I could kill her. She'd learned her lesson.

As soon as Sabine ran out of the room, I followed her. I tried to use my heightened speed, but I stumbled over my feet and almost fell on my face. A frustrated sigh left my lips as I stormed out of the room, still carrying myself with the grace and pride I normally would.

When I exited the Compound, the sun was beginning to rise. A thin line hit me, and I took my hand off. When I put it in the sun, it still burned. That was bad because my hand caught on fire, but it was good because it meant I was still partially a vampire.

Then I realised that I had no way home, so I had to go back inside and explain what happened to Marcel. He _laughed_ at me, and then agreed to let me stay. I almost kicked his ass, but then I remembered he has the advantage of super-strength, which I guarantee you I don't have right now.

I was sitting in one of his many rooms, with a glass of bourbon in my hand. I don't know what I'm expecting because I'll probably feel human pain for _five whole days_. The only good thing about this is that I'm a witch for those five days, and I'm a powerful one.

Even though I'd sent Will a text, telling him to come pick me up, I knew I'd be here for a while longer. That's why I have a glass of bourbon in my hand. Maybe if I knew what it had tasted like when I was human, then I wouldn't worry. Unfortunately for me, bourbon wasn't around that long ago.

Bringing the glass to my lips, I actually felt how cold it was. I took a sip of the bourbon and coughed. It was really strong, and burned my throat a little as it went down. Of course, I never had alcohol as a human, but this was so weird.

"Have you told Klaus yet?" Marcel questioned, surprising me and making me jump. "Sorry. I forgot that Sabine stole whatever's heightened in a vampire. You should probably tell Klaus about what happened or he'll snap you in two."

"And have him laugh about how weak I am?" I asked, bitterly. "Sabine stole my heightened everything, and now I'm vulnerable. If anyone who wants me dead hears about this before those five days are up, I'm screwed. I hate this!"

"Yeah, you're also a hormonal teenager," Will commented, surprising me by how early he got here. "You must be Marcel. I'm Will."

They shook hands, and I didn't miss the cunning look in Marcel's eyes. I got to my feet, and set the glass of bourbon down. Will must be used to the heat because he was wearing black skinny jeans and a black muscle-tee. He looked incredibly hot right now.

"You're Thalia's boyfriend, I've heard a bit about you," Marcel stated, causing Will and I both to blush. "Or maybe you're just in bed together. I suppose it's none of my business, really. You should both head home, and make sure that Thalia's safe, Will. She's a good friend of mine."

I smiled at Marcel, and then walked out of the room. As soon as I was out the door, I tripped over my own feet and fell on my face. Because I'd put my hands out to stop myself from falling, they were now red and tingling. I doubt they were as red as my face, though.

All Will did was laugh at me, and so did Marcel. I groaned in pain, attempting to wipe the pain off, onto my jeans. That was a big mistake because it made it hurt so much more. I've been so graceful and healed so fast over the past thousand years that I've forgotten what it's like to feel this kind of pain.

Seeing how doing nothing would do... Well, nothing, I decided to get to my feet and walk out of the room. This time I was focusing on not falling over and making myself seem like an embarrassment.

Now that I'm only half-vampire for the next five days, I can guarantee that they're going to be the longest five days of my life...


	39. Being Human

"I hate being human!" I exclaimed, after falling down a few stairs and landing on my ass.

My entire body was sore because I decided to go for a run this morning, and it was quite a long run. I forgot that I was basically human, and I had pushed myself a bit too far. Taking a bath had helped, but not by much, and it took like an hour to dry and straighten my hair, then to put on my make-up and to dress.

I didn't bother moving from my spot on the steps, and I could hear Will laughing hysterically. Klaus had asked me to have breakfast with him, and I'm going to explain to him that I'm human. He's not going to be happy and he'll probably get really paranoid, but he's going to snap me in two if he doesn't know.

According to Rebekah, he's in a bad mood. He bit Elijah yesterday, and then left him in the Bayou. I'm glad I wasn't there, or I'd be dead or something. I imagine that that bite is causing Elijah some trouble right now, and he won't be okay until either tonight or tomorrow.

Will helped me to my feet, and I dusted off my butt. I was wearing black skinny jeans, and a red shirt with my leather jacket. I wore a pair of vans with it, and I had to admit that I looked pretty good.

Although it's autumn now, it's still pretty hot in New Orleans. I was thankful that I was still half-vampire because I figured out how to stop feeling the heat. Now I can go back to wearing whatever I want to wear, and the weather won't effect me. Everything else will though.

When I entered the dining room, I almost laughed. There was almost tension in the air, and Klaus was trying to be polite to Rebekah, who was clearly disgusted by his actions. The breakfast looked nice though, and I was starving.

"Poppycock!" Klaus exclaimed, which threatened to break my silence with laughter. "I would never bite you. Elijah made some very offensive accusations about my intentions towards my child. He deserves a day or two of discomfort. Besides, you know my preferred method of punishment for your indiscretions is the dagger."

Rebekah smirked coldly as she stood up and said, "There is something fundamentally wrong with you." Then she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, leaving a bit of tension behind.

Will and I walked forward and took a seat. I sat to Klaus' right, and Will sat next to me. He didn't trust Klaus, and I'm not fast enough to save him if something were to happen and he was across from me.

"Poppycock?" I questioned, pouring myself a glass of orange juice. "Really? Couldn't you have said something better. Even just saying _'bull'_ would've sounded better."

I muttered poppycock one more time and then scoffed, earning a threatening glare from Klaus and a nudge from Will. He raised his eyebrows at me, and I knew he was trying to insist that I tell Klaus about my current state. I just want a pastry first.

Having a croissant seemed like a good idea, so I took one. They had ham and cheese in them I think, but I'm not too sure. It's not like I can just lift it to my nose and smell it, or Klaus will know something's up and snap. He'll probably end up killing me, and that's not going to be a fun time.

The croissant tasted heavenly, and I had forgotten what it was like to have food because you needed it. As a vampire, you can taste every aspect of the food whether you want to or not. This is nice, not just because I need it, but because I don't have to taste every single bloody molecule.

Unfortunately for me, the pastry was gone so soon after I started it. I washed it down with the orange juice, which tasted great too. I'd say it was organic, and the pulp was still in it. I don't like pulp much, but it does kind of add to the taste.

"Right, now that I've eaten, I can get on with this," I stated, calmly. It was so much easier to be calm when my feelings aren't heightened. "So, while you and Elijah ditched me, I was talking to Sabine. She blew some weird ass powder on me, and now I'm half human."

"She what?!" Klaus asked, furiously.

Klaus got to his feet and went to rush out of the room, but I flicked my wrist and the door shut on him. Then I muttered a spell and he stumbled back over to the table. I had forced him to move, and I knew that it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway.

Now Klaus was even angrier, and in his fury, he forgot that I'm human. He grabbed me by the throat and began to squeeze. Within seconds, I went from sitting down to gasping for air.

I couldn't breathe, but that didn't stop me from performing magic. I sent a wave of pain into Klaus' head that was so powerful it made him drop me and his nose bleed. He looked at me, and then realised the two things he had forgotten:  
1\. I'm human now

2\. If I'm human, that means I'm also the most powerful witch in New Orleans

"Bloody hell, Klaus!" I exclaimed, stopping the spell. "If you kill Sabine, then I'm stuck in this half-human body for the rest of my life! I don't particularly enjoy being vulnerable!"

"No, you wouldn't," Klaus muttered, a sly smirk on his face. "You're going to help me secure New Orleans while you're still weak. If Davina can tell when a witch is using magic, then so can you."

Before I could argue, Klaus fled the room. I yelled in annoyance, and a few of the glasses shattered because I'm still not used to having so much power. I'd rather die then be a piece in Klaus' game.

I somehow managed to get my leg stuck between the stair posts when I fell down the stairs for the second time today. Unfortunately, Klaus is still out, Will can't hear me, and Elijah won't be very pleased with me if I break his staircase.

Normally I'm one of those people who say that if you got yourself stuck somewhere then you can get out. Today I'm just so done with everything that I've accepted my fate. If I'm stuck sitting here for the rest of my life then so be it.

Slowly and carefully, I turned my foot so it was sticking up. Then I began to shuffle back, wincing slightly the entire time. My leg burned, and I knew that I would have to ice my injury or something, but that doesn't seem very fun. Being human isn't very fun.

As it got to my ankle, I turned my leg to a very uncomfortable angle, and then continued to shuffle back. A cheer of victory left my lips as I freed my foot. Maybe I can do this whole being human thing for another four days. I don't really want to, but at least if I get stuck again, I know what I'm doing.

I walked back up the stairs, and then headed towards the bathroom. When I got to the door, Will was standing in the bathroom without a shirt on. He was looking for something, and even though I knew I shouldn't stare, I really couldn't help myself.

There was this odd feeling between my legs, almost as if it were some kind of heat. Will turned to face me, biting his lip a little. I acted as if I had just seen him, and if I weren't previously staring at him. He didn't see through the facade thank god, and just smiled at me.

"I, uh, did intend to get food but my leg got stuck in the stair posts," I said, awkwardly. Will laughed at me, and I frowned. "Now I want to take a bath. With you."

The last part sort of just slipped out, but it's something I would normally say, just with a little less awkwardness in my tone. Vampire me is a lot more confident then human me. My confidence was heightened, and because I was so quiet, the confidence was what showed instead.

"You're human, Thalia," Will stated, putting a shirt on. "You've been a vampire for one thousand years. I'm sure that the way you think is different now, and I don't want you to not be entirely sure."

"Well, it's what I think I want, and it's definitely what my body wants," I told him, walking into the bathroom. "I have this weird feeling that I don't quite remember perfectly, but I'm pretty sure it's lust. We don't have to do anything if you want to. You could just take a bath with me."

I looked Will in the eyes and bit my lip, wanting him so badly that it was making me uncomfortable. All I wanted was to explore his body and feel how I should when I'm with him. There's no bloodlust right now, and I don't want to drain him of blood while he pleasures me. It feels so much better already.

He pressed his lips against mine, and put his hands on my waist. I tangled my fingers in his hair, and opened my mouth to let his tongue in. Will pressed his hips against mine and a low moan left my mouth. I could feel him pressed against me, and I wanted him in me.

Almost as soon as we began to make out, Will pulled away. He gave me a small smile, but it wasn't entirely genuine. He just walked out of the bathroom and left me standing there. My heart felt like it dropped to my stomach and I couldn't move. This would hurt more as a vampire, but it would make me angry too.

My heart kind of hurt, so I just locked the bathroom door and got in the bath...


	40. Everything Must Come To An End

**Will Ashford**

All I can remember is the blood that was everywhere. I ended up covered in it myself, trying to save the woman I loved. Was she a woman or just a girl? I suppose I might never know because I might never get the chance to ask her.

Thalia and I had been outside, swimming in the pool. She looked so beautiful and sophisticated, despite being stuck at seventeen for all of her life. Her black hair was plastered against her back, and her purple eyes, which had become more of a grey colour now that she is human, shone with triumph.

We had just played a game of volleyball, whilst in the pool, and she had won. Neither of us even used magic to cheat, but somehow she won. I thought that Thalia would struggle in her temporarily human body, but she didn't. She was just as graceful as she had always been.

The way her bikini clung to her skin, allowing me to see her curves and flawless pale skin, made me want to make her scream my name. She looked so hot, but I knew that she wasn't used to human emotions. Everything is heightened for vampires, and just because it's something she would want as a vampire, doesn't mean she wants it as a human.

She had told me she was going to the bathroom, so I watched her walk away from me. I don't think Thalia knew how sexy it looked when she walked, as her hips swayed from side to side. Maybe she did it on purpose, but maybe she didn't even know.

When she had been gone for too long a time, I went to check on her. There was a bathroom downstairs, so I checked there first. I'm glad that I did, as Thalia was laying on the floor, at an odd angle. I grabbed my phone and dialed 911 as I went to check on her.

Blood was everywhere. Someone had torn at her with their nails, and attacked her throat. I took the nearby towel and pressed it over the wound on her throat, which was bleeding profusely.

I don't remember much after that. It's all too hazy. The paramedics busted into the house and took me out of the room, while they tried to help Thalia. She was rushed out on a stretcher, and I can remember sitting in the ambulance with them while they sped towards the hospital.

They didn't know who to contact, as she didn't have a social security number or any medical files. That's why I was the one to call Klaus. I can remember that as they rushed Thalia in for emergency surgery, I sobbed over the phone while telling Klaus where we were.

Maybe I passed out, or maybe I blacked out due to stress, as the next thing I remember is being in Thalia's room. She was in a critical condition, and tears were streaming down my face because if I lose Thalia, then I've lost everyone who ever mattered to me.

"Excuse me sir," one of the nurses said, interrupting my thoughts. "Could you please give us the name of this woman, tell us a bit about her, and tell us your relations to her?"

"Uh, yeah," I agreed, clearing my throat and wiping away my tears. "Her name's Thalia Ashwood, and she's from England. I don't know her blood type or anything like that. She's my girlfriend. Is it alright that I called her adopted brother?"

"What happened?" Klaus asked, storming into the room before the nurse could answer.

"You both need to leave," she told us. "The doctors need to check up on her again."

Klaus and I were ushered out of the room. He would've snapped and killed the nurse, had he not read the informations sheet on her bed, and seen all the things that were attached to his best friend. We both know that there's nothing we can do, so we sat in silence.

Thalia was in there, possibly dying, and we were stuck out here. It could have been me dying. In fact, it should be. At least Thalia can turn it all off and forget about me. I know it's so incredibly selfish, but I can't do it and that's just not fair.

"I don't know who did it," I whispered. "We were swimming and she was gone too long and then she was just laying there..." I began to sob, and I saw the sad look in Klaus' eyes. "If I lose her, then I lose the last person who matters to me. I-I think with time I could actually love her."

"We have all fallen in love with Thalia before," Klaus informed me. "Every single original will be hurt if she dies. Marcel and so many others will be too. Imagine seeing Damon Salvatore cry over her, because that is what may happen." Klaus looked as if he realised something. "I cannot give her my blood, but she was turned into a human five days ago. She only has to last another four hours or so and then she lives."

Three and a half hours had already passed, and we were finally let into Thalia's room. Klaus has an empire to run now, but I'm glad to see that his best friend is more important to him. She may not live after this because Klaus may not be right this time.

She looked a lot worse then when we had left. Her skin was too pale and waxy, and her hair had lost it's luscious shine. I took her hand, and noticed how limp and cold it was. Thalia may really die, and it's all my fault because I didn't check on her sooner.

Klaus looked at her, then turned and walked out of the room. I heard a soft sob leave his lips before he left, using his vampire speed to probably just get out of the hospital. This place must smell like dying to him, and he can probably hear how weak Thalia's heart really is, instead of just watching the machine.

"Mr Ashford, Thalia does not have long left," the doctor told me, walking in with a sorrowful look on his face. "She is in pain already. From the blood tests we've run, there's something odd in her blood that is trying to fight this, but it's killing her even faster. I suggest you say your goodbyes because she may not make it through the next half hour."

That was one of those moments where it shouldn't have sunk in immediately. I suppose it would've made it more interesting if I denied it straight up, but I knew better. However, I've lost so many people in my life that I just know this is real, and that Thalia may not survive.

I sat down on the chair next to her bed, and then took her hand again. Despite the fact that you could see she was dying, Thalia still looked beautiful. She's always looked beautiful, no matter what she was doing. I just wished that I could have had more time with her.

One thing I had noticed about Thalia was that her eyes flashed purple when she used magic, but otherwise they were an intimidating steel grey. I think her magic was what changed her eye colour, and when she became a vampire magic would forever run in her veins, so they turned purple. It's rare, but it can happen to the most powerful witches there are.

"Goodbye Thalia," I said. "I love you."

As if she heard my goodbye, the machine that told me her heart was beating went flat. A choked sob left my lips, turning the few tear drops into a waterfall. Doctors didn't rush in, as they all knew she was going to die anyway.

Before I could figure out what to do, Thalia sat up and gasped. The cut on her neck healed, and she pulled the stitches out, as well as the rest of the machinery that was strapped to her. Her eyes went from grey to that brilliant purple, and she looked at me with a wild hunger in her eyes.

I'd forgotten that the thing battling her blood and killing her faster would've been her vampirism. Vampires don't have heartbeats either, so the fact that the heart monitor stopped shouldn't have meant anything. I had been so upset that I forgot to think.

I threw my arms around her, but Thalia just sat there. She seemed different in a way, and I didn't know why. I pulled away and she shot me that same charming smile that she first gave me when she first smiled at me.

"Will Ashford, you've been rather annoying," she told me, a hint of teasing in her voice. "Now, I'd like you to stop crying and go home, so I can sneak out of here."


	41. After Midnight

After everyone thinking I was dead, it's been a bit awkward. Klaus moved back into the compound, which is where we lived last time we were here. I decided to go with him, and Will came with me. Elijah and Rebekah have both had a fallout with Klaus, so they're staying at Elijah's.

Since Klaus is the newly crowned ruler of the city, he's decided to have a little get together with the more powerful vampires of New Orleans. I understand that entirely, but I fail to see why Will and I have to go. He wants us there to annoy me, probably.

Putting a warlock in a room full of vampires isn't safe, so I'm sitting next to Will instead of across from him. He had five days to look after me, so I should get to make sure no one drains him of blood for at least an hour. It's only fair.

Will was waiting for me down in the courtyard, as I was getting ready. I could hear him talking to Hayley, who he gets along with rather well. As well as a werewolf and warlock can get along, if we're meant to be specific.

I stood in front of the mirror, admiring myself. I was wearing a black dress that hugged my curves and showed a bit of cleavage. It went to my mid-thigh, and it looked really nice with the black heels I was wearing. My rings were also on my fingers, and my hair was curled.

Quickly, I made my way downstairs. Marcel, Diego, and a few of their closest friends and allies were waiting for me. They were all wearing dark colours, but that didn't really surprise me. What surprised me was that no one had tried to eat Will yet.

As I walked over, I smirked at Klaus, who's eyes were on me. Marcel and a few of his men stared too, apart from a furious Diego. I noted that Hayley was at one end of the table, while Klaus was seated at the other. Will sat next to Hayley, on her left, and I guarantee Klaus made sure that I had to sit on his right.

Everyone still stared at me as I sat down, including Will. Klaus tapped his glass with a fork to get their attention, meaning that I probably shouldn't attempt to pour myself any wine yet. That can wait until after one of Klaus' usually-boring speeches.

"Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality," Klaus suggested, boring me already. "After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for it's beauties and it's sorrows to diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could imagine."

Apart from me, everyone was actually listening to Klaus' boring speech. He gestured to a group of waiters and waitresses. They all moved forward, so there was one of them next to everyone apart from Hayley and Will. I saw that they all had knives, and almost sighed.

"Insatiable need, exquisite pain," Klaus continued. The servants slit their wrists and let the blood pour into the cups. "Our victories, and our defeats." He raised his cup in a toast. "To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow..."

"And the party never end!" Marcel added.

"To New Orleans," Diego said.

"New Orleans," we all echoed.

Everyone raised their cups to their lips and drank their blood. Will and Hayley had wine, and I wish that I did too. My reluctance to drink was noticed by all, and I knew that it was going to cause some drama. Everyone would doubt my allegiance to Klaus now, which is good.

I'm not loyal to Klaus or Marcel or anyone else. My allegiance stands with myself and Will. Everyone else will be left standing in the dust and ashes when I am done. New Orleans will be mine if I want it, and if I don't, then I'll find another way to amuse myself.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I've invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated," Klaus glanced at me. "No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires."

"What about her?" Diego asked, pointing at Hayley. "The wolf. And what about the warlock and Thalia?"

Klaus sent a wicked grin my way, and I got ready to move to Will's side. I don't care much for Hayley, but if I have to protect her as well, then so be it. Marcel noticed the fact that I was now ready to move to Will's side, and there was a cunning glint in his eye.

I watched as Klaus walked over to Hayley and Will. He stood between them, and I chose that moment to drink the blood. My eyes met Will's, and he seemed calm and in control. However, he must have forgotten that using magic here is a death wish.

There was a sharp pain in my foot, as Marcel dug his heel in. I looked up at him and glared, but he just shot me a warning look. He was worried that I would attack Klaus, and then that Klaus would turn against everyone in the room. He is a kinder leader than Klaus.

"Had you let me finish, you would know that there is two further matters I would like to address," Klaus stated. "As many of you know, the girl is carrying my child. I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect. However, I understand that some of you are concerned by this vicious rumour that I intend to use the blood of our child to create hybrids. I assure you that I do _not_."

"Father of the year," Hayley muttered.

Hayley was unaware of this, but that statement and the doubtful looks in the eyes of some had made Klaus frustrated. He's always an ass when he's like this, and I don't think I can remember a time where he has done something smart. From my knowledge, he'll probably have all of the wolves killed.

"It appears I will have to earn your trust," Klaus said, sighing after. "Very well. We'll eliminate the root of your anxiety. You see, how can I sire any hybrids if there are no more werewolves alive in the Bayou to turn?" Hayley looked horrified, and Will seemed shocked. "So eat, drink, and be merry. Tomorrow, I suggest you have yourselves a little wolf hunt. Go ahead, have fun. Kill them all!"

I heard Hayley object, but Klaus didn't listen. A choked groan of annoyance left my lips, not only because this was a stupid move, but because I knew that Will and I would be talked about next. He'll probably end up locking us both in a room until I desiccate and Will dies.

Killing all of the werewolves is an incredibly bad move. Those who actually turned are only human during the full moon, and we'll lose a lot of vampires. That, and if we can actually try and work with the werewolves, then we would be unstoppable.

Klaus has a mind for strategy, but not the right kind of strategy. His are all about killing people and getting what he wants. He doesn't care about anything or anyone else when he puts his plans in place. That's not a good thing when you're trying to run a city.

Will shot me a concerned look, and Hayley was silently begging me to argue with Klaus. Since when have I become the good one? Just because I actually have a brain does not mean that I am willing to be stuck in a coffin for a few decades.

"As for the warlock-" Klaus went to say.

"He's with me, and if any of you try anything and live, then I'll kill you myself," I interrupted. "Seeing how all eyes are on me, let's get one thing very clear. I'm not going to let any of you step on me just to be diplomatic. I will kill you if you push me, and I won't feel _any_ remorse, but I will let you know it's me when I kill you."

With that, I got up and walked out of the room. No one called out to me or ran after me, which was good. Now that Klaus is in charge, he needs some real competition.

Will and I were sitting in the new music room. I didn't want to play anything right now, so I sat on one of the armchairs and listened to him try to play piano. He didn't know what he was doing, and although he knew he could ask me for some help, he refused to.

It was amusing when he hit the wrong key, but he was getting the hang of it. I sat up and saw Will frowning at the piano. He looked adorable with that little frown on his face. I got up and walked over to him, just to see what he would do.

As I sat down next to Will, he began to play again. He went to press the wrong key, so I quickly pressed the right one for him. A faint smile appeared on his face, but he kept playing. He was getting good at this, but I can't help asking myself why.

He finished, so I started to play Moonlight Sonata, which was written by Beethoven. It wasn't too hard to play, seeing how I've had a lot of time to play it over and over again. Ludwig van Beethoven was a polite person when he was younger. I cannot say much for when he got older.

"We should go on an actual date tonight," Will suggested. "Have a fun time, just the two of us. We haven't done that yet."

"That sounds like a great idea," I agreed, moving so I was facing Will. "So where do you want to go?"

"I was thinking dinner, and then we come back here and do our thing," Will stated, placing his hands on my thighs. "Or we could go and see a movie."

"If we have a movie, I'm going to pay more attention to it then what we're doing. I think just dinner will be fine. Then we can come back here and do whatever we want."

I leaned forward and kissed Will, who wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. My hands slid into his hair as he pulled me closer. We were too caught up in the moment to care about the fact that anyone could just walk in. Will ran his tongue over my lips before meeting my own, and I noticed the faint taste of mint.

We moved back, so I was laying down and Will was on top. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and a soft moan left my lips when he bit down roughly. His lips moved to my neck, where he sucked harshly, and if I were human I knew there would be bruises.

He went to suck on my collarbone, but I tilted his head up and kissed him again. Will's hands moved to my waist, and then moved up my body. He pinned my arms above my head, and went back to kissing me, making me moan as he ground his hips against mine.

Someone cleared their throat, and Will got up. I rolled my eyes and sat up, sliding out from under Will and moving to the floor. It was Klaus and Marcel who had interrupted us, which didn't surprise me. Everyone else would've been polite enough to just walk away.

Will looked nervous now, but I just smirked and looked up at Klaus. I ignored my lust and got to my feet, running a hand through my hair to smooth it out. Klaus had a look of fury in his eyes, but I didn't know why. I was wearing jeans and a red shirt now, so he couldn't have been flashed.

"We have a meeting to go to," Klaus stated, hiding his fury. "Your warlock can stay here."

"You say that like I'm just a pet," Will said, annoyed. " _Your warlock_. I could ruin you, Klaus. Maybe you should remember that next time you want to treat me like a pet."

Just to further annoy Klaus, I kissed Will for a good five seconds. I pulled away and smirked, letting him know that I wasn't happy with Klaus either.

Klaus, Marcel, and I headed towards one of the churches in this city. It's the one run by Father Kieran, who's a member of the human faction of New Orleans. It also had a massacre in it, brought on by witches. The kid was mentally stable until that night, and I know the hex myself.

We walked in, and Father Kieran was standing there. In the front row of the pews was the mayor and sheriff, who didn't seem amused. They probably just wanted their money. People like that need to sit down and let those with actual brains do the work.

I noticed the eyes of the sheriff and mayor linger on me, and I smiled at them. Father Kieran gestured towards us, and sighed a little. He didn't want to call this meeting, but I suppose he had to. A kind heart and an actual brain are going to get this man far.

"Klaus, Marcel, Thalia, thank you for coming," Father Kieran said. "We are aware of the change in the leadership of your community, and we thought it was time to make the appropriate introductions."

The mayor and sheriff stood up, probably to introduce themselves. I know I'm attractive, and I get a lot of stares sometimes, but I didn't like the way either of them were looking at me. They were like fifty, and I'm clearly a teenager. It creeped me out and made me incredibly uncomfortable.

"We wanna be sure you understand how things work around here," the mayor stated.

"Is that so?" Klaus asked amusedly. The mayor nodded in response.

"What the mayor means is that we just want some insurance that this new development isn't going to endanger our city or it's inhabitants," Kieran covered.

Father Kieran was incredibly anxious, and I knew why. The mayor and sheriff probably had egos just as big as Klaus', and it wouldn't end well. He just wanted to keep the peace, which is more than reasonable. A fight with the humans is the last thing we need.

"Look, you freaks do your thing, and we'll look the other way," the sheriff told us. Klaus looked at Marcel and I, with a look of annoyance and surprise on his face. "As long as our pockets stay full, we won't have a problem."

There was going to be a confrontation, and we all knew it. Klaus was angry, and the mayor and sheriff were really pushing it. They had forgotten that we can kill them with a flick of our wrists. If I really wanted to, I could kill them all right now, but I won't.

"More importantly, there are rules," Kieran said, trying to stop a fight. "No feeding on the locals. Don't bring any unwanted attention to the city. History has proven that we can co-exist peacefully. However, if you cross the line-"

"You answer to us," the foolish sheriff interrupted.

I'd come up with new names for these two idiots; Sheriff Avaricious and Mayor Mindless. It fit them both well, because the mayor is a foolish idiot with no mind, and the sheriff is a greedy pig who just wants more money.

Klaus laughed loudly, and I knew that he wasn't going to sit through this. I wouldn't want to either, but we kind of have to. These people run New Orleans and they're letting us live here. We've been kicked out of cities before this one, so it may happen again.

"Okay," Klaus muttered. "I'm sorry, let me get this straight... I'm to play supplicant to this pompous ass and his ridiculous group of petty thieves." He sighed dramatically and shook his head. "Here are my terms: you will take whatever scraps I see fit to leave you, and you will be grateful. If that doesn't suit you, I may decide you've outlived your usefulness."

The Sheriff had a furious look on his face as Klaus turned and walked away. Marcel was annoyed with Klaus' words, and his lack of ability to be political. I was too, so I decided to stay in the church, and even sat down in one of the pews.

Klaus had really messed up, but maybe I could try to fix this. Maybe they would listen to me, and try to avoid starting anything. At this point, I'm the last hope we all have to stop a violent confrontation. I hope Father Kieran is willing to help me out here.

"Listen, Klaus and I have been around for one thousand years," I explained. "We don't get pushed around, and I'm sure you don't want to be either. Just don't do anything to provoke him, or he _will_ kill you."

With that, I turned and left the church. Maybe they'll take my advice, but maybe not. Most humans like that tend to think more about money then anything else in there kind of situations...


	42. Glory and Gore

**a/n: the + is the thing that tells you when there's a flashback, which will be in italics, and then it tells you when it ends.**

Like the foolish little humans they are, the mayor and sheriff didn't listen to my advice and now they're dead. Klaus and Marcel killed them, and then slaughtered every other person in the restaurant they were in. The cover story was that they all died in a tragic boating accident, which isn't even that original.

No one told me about the murder plot, so instead I sat in the pool all day, just thinking about how being an original vampire guarantees I will never die. Everyone around me will die, apart from Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah. It's possible that I'm the one who kills everyone else around me, even if I love them, and that still scares me.

When I was human, before Esther and Mikael agreed to take me in, a small part of me enjoyed killing the people who weren't innocent. They were guilty of something, and deserved to die, just like I did. In the assassin business I was in, you either were killed when you reached twenty-one, or you were forced to be a trainer. No one ever got out. Accept for me.

Now I take pleasure in my kills. I take pleasure in draining the life out of people, and snapping their necks, and tearing them apart. It was heightened when I turned, but not to a psychopathic level. Some may label me a psychopath, but it does not concern me. When you are immortal and incredibly strong and you need to kill to live, then you learn not to care what others think on the subject.

The only downside of being a vampire is that because _everything_ is heightened, you may not be who you were when you were human. Klaus isn't, and neither is Rebekah. Elijah is to a degree, but he is not as honourable as he believes. I definitely am not the same person, and that is something I'm proud of.

My main issue with everything being heightened, however, is the feelings. You turn it all of, but eventually it all comes back and it hurts so much. I don't want to care about what Will thinks of me, but all I want to do is make him happy. I want to make him like me, and it confuses me so much. I didn't think that it was who I am.

"Thalia Ashwood, I didn't expect to ever see you here," a Russian voice said, coming from behind me.

"Well, Alexander, I'm here to have a fun time," I told him, sweetly. "A friend of mine told me that this is the most fun place in all of New Orleans."

I was standing in front of a black metal door that was soundproof. The thing is, the door is in the middle of one of those dark alleys that people warn you not to go down or the things that go bump in the night will get you. I'm not too worried... I'm one of those, you know?

The door opened, and I walked in. Alexander was just a human, but he and I met a few weeks ago at a club. He's tall and handsome, but in the dark, dangerous kind of way. I heard that he runs an... establishment of sorts that allows me to play Russian Roulette. I like the rush I get from the game, and I like the fact that I always win.

Alexander led me in, and I saw two other women here. They were fully clothed, but it was revealing clothing. It was nice clothes though. I just wish I could wear it and still feel as confident, despite all of the stares that I would get. Sometimes I'm still a little insecure, but that's alright because my feelings are very human.

There were four men here, and a teenage boy that was around my age. He had dark hair and grey eyes that looked black in this dark room. Only a single lightbulb lit up this room, and it added more tension and suspense to the entire situation.

Licking my lips, I sat down next to the boy with dark hair and eyes. I noticed how pale his skin was, and how he could force a wicked smile onto his face. He dropped it, and I saw how kind he really was, but then he shut his emotions away. Whoever he is, he now has my interest.

Will broke up with me after Klaus and Marcel's slaughter-fest, so I've come to play some Russian Roulette. I have a choice between the actual game with a gun, or to just hope that I get the shot with vodka in it so I can get drunk. By hope, I mean that I'll use my heightened sense of smell to get the shot glass filled with vodka.

 _Will and I were sitting on the balcony in Klaus' art room, which is the only room with a piano in it. He insisted that he wanted to look at the city, so instead of playing the piano, I joined him outside. He looked so peaceful when he was deep in thought. I wish that I could be as at peace as he seems to be._

 _He turned to look at me, and I saw an odd look in his eyes. He felt bad about something, but he was angry too. That is a very,_ very _human thing. They get so angry when things happen, and it shows you how human Klaus really is when he acts that way. I hate having to distinguish myself from humans in such a way, as I just do not get it._

 _"Klaus and Marcel slaughtered innocent people today," Will stated, angrily. "The mayor and the sheriff may have deserved it, but not the others! You went with them to the meeting that started all of this! You could've done something!"_

 _"I tried to warn them, Will," I told him, calmly. "Humans like them don't listen. All they can see is the money and the power they gain from that money. I have never met people so greedy and power-hungry. The others, well, I don't know any of them and I can't feel bad. If I feel bad for them then I am going to feel bad for everyone who wasn't a terrible person who has died."_

 _There was a wild fury in Will's eyes, but there was something else too... Disappointment. He was disappointed that I distance myself so I don't feel bad for every living person that has ever died. What Klaus and Marcel did wasn't entirely right, but it wasn't the most evil thing either. Why can't he see that?_

 _"How can you not see that it was wrong?!" Will snapped. "I understand that you have to distance yourself sometimes, but you should at least be able to acknowledge that the wrong thing was done! I can't be with someone like you! I can't be with a monster anymore!" Will looked me in the eyes, and I could see how upset he was. "My parents left all their money to me in their will, so I bought a flat near the University of New Orleans, where I plan to attend university. Don't try to find me. It's over."_

 _I felt an indescribable pain in my heart. It was like it was shattering to pieces, while being stabbed over and over, but not even that would fully explain it. My heart felt like it had been wrenched from my chest, and then put through a shredder. And my eyes filled with tears. That is the easiest to describe because it felt like they were acid tears, and as if they were burning my eyes._

 _Will got up from his chair and walked over to the door. With tears spilling down my face, I turned to look at him one more time. His eyes were filled with tears too, but they did not spill. His pale skin was flawless, and his black hair looked so luscious and perfect. His blue eyes bore into my own, and I already missed the way his perfect smile would light them up._

 _"We are each our own devils, and we make this world our hell," I half-whispered, quoting Oscar Wilde. "I may be a monster, Will, but I didn't intend to be. I won't apologise for it either because no one even tried to apologise for making me this way. What I will apologise for is the fact that I made you unhappy. You're so incredibly intelligent, and I hope you achieve all your goals in life. Goodbye, Will."_

 _Tears continued spilling down my cheeks, although they began to flow more like a forceful waterfall, or a faucet that has been turned on and is spurting out water full-blast. Will began to cry too, so he turned and walked out of the room as quickly as he could. He walked away while I sat there, just letting my heart break._

The boy next to me placed his hand on my thigh, and then grinned at me before placing his lips on my neck. I tilted my head to the side and just let the pleasurable feeling take over me. I don't want to feel the pain that comes from the memories of Will. All I want to feel is a rush that reminds me of how powerful I really am.

"What's your name, princess?" He asked, pulling away from my neck and putting his arm around my shoulders.

"I'm Thalia Ashwood," I said. "You?"

"Dustin Maxwell. A pretty girl with brains like yours wouldn't come here and let me put my lips on you. So tell me, princess, what brings you here?"

I reached for the bottle of vodka on the table and took a swig or three before putting it back down. Then I licked my lips and turned back to Dustin, who's eyes were full of lust. From the way his lips worked on my neck, I knew he would be perfect for having a friends-with-benefits set up with.

"My boyfriend broke up with me," I confessed. "Called me a monster and everything. Spot on though. I'm a monster alright, but I like it. I enjoy being a monster because what I do makes me feel good."

A cold laugh left my lips and I reached for the vodka again. Alexander, who had clearly overheard the conversation, took the vodka before I could reach it. He gestured to the shot glasses, suggesting that I play the alcoholic version of Russian Roulette. Well, fuck that. I want to feel an adrenaline rush. I woke up drunk this morning, so I've done enough drinking.

I reached for the revolver on the table, and a bullet. I put the bullet in one of the chambers of the gun, then put the round of chambers back in place. I spun it, then felt the cold metal pressed against my head.

My hearing let me know that the bullet wasn't going to hit me, so I pulled the trigger. Dustin winced, expecting it to go off, but it didn't. I dropped the gun onto the table, and then took the vodka off of Alexander. He watched me with wide eyes, clearly shocked by my actions, but all I did was smile in return.

Dustin bit his lip as I chugged down the vodka. I pulled the bottle away from my lips and let out a low laugh. At this point, most of them must think I'm crazy. That's what heartbreak does to you, I suppose. Not like I would really remember from last time. I don't think I felt the same way towards Klaus that I do for Will.

Dustin had been great in bed, but I missed the feel of it really meaning something. We had each other's number now, so we could talk some more, but we probably won't unless one of us wants to have sex again. That won't happen on my part, as I'm just going to get drunk instead.

Yesterday I had lost it. Now it's day two since Will broke up with me and I haven't cried yet. I'm worried that if I break down and start crying then I won't be able to stop. Maybe there's something I can do here to take my mind off of him. Music won't work, so maybe I can actually leave my room to go and talk to someone else who lives in the compound like Rebekah or Hayley.

I was already dressed in my usual attire, and my hair was brushed, so I left my room and headed towards the courtyard. Unfortunately for me, I stumbled across Klaus, Marcel, and Elijah first. Elijah might treat me nicely, but Klaus won't and Marcel's probably in a bad mood too.

"Ah, Thalia, just the person I wanted to see," Klaus said, greeting me with a cold smile. "I couldn't help but notice that your little warlock is missing, and so is Davina. Call him and get him to do a locator spell immediately."

"Yeah, the warlock and I broke up and Davina's probably safer without you around, so I think not," I told him, with no emotion in my voice.

"I don't care what you think," Klaus insisted. "Call your warlock and find Davina! Now! Or I will put a dagger in your heart myself!"

Klaus clearly didn't remember who he was pushing around, and he'll regret that real soon. He always forgets that he isn't the biggest bad anymore. He might have been before he broke the hybrid curse, but now I'm a different type of hybrid and I can kick his ass with ease. That, and I'm in a bad mood and I will happily kill someone.

"You don't control me, Klaus!" I snapped, shoving him against the wall. "I said I won't so back off! You could at least have some compassion and ask to borrow my phone so you could try to call him yourself! I'm not calling my ex! Not when it'll harm a teenage girl who shouldn't have to put up with you!"

My grip on Klaus' shirt lessened, but he took that as a cue to fight back. He grabbed my by the throat and turned, so it was me who was pressed against the wall. Klaus was furious, but he'd forgotten about my magic.

Veins began to creep up Klaus' arm, but he didn't notice because he was a bit busy trying to strangle me. They reached his neck, and he began to choke. Marcel and Elijah just stood to the side, unsure of what to do. No one ever gets between Klaus and I when we fight because we'll team up on that person and then fight each other again.

The veins that were creeping up Klaus' neck stopped and became shadows under his skin. I felt a cold, dark kind of power wash over me and I couldn't control myself. Klaus dropped me, and then fell to his knees. He looked up at me, and although his eyes were full of fear and he was trying to beg me to stop, I kept going. I felt good.

Someone shook me, but whoever it is flew against the wall. Klaus began to cough and splutter, and he knew that I was enjoying this. It felt right. Being able to taunt and harm the man who is supposedly the biggest, baddest supernatural creature in the world felt amazing.

Darkness swept through my veins, and as I felt myself tire, it made me more powerful. Klaus' body dropped to the floor, and I withdrew my power. I turned to Marcel and Elijah, and grinned at them. It was Elijah who had hit the wall, and I could tell from the look of fury in his eyes.

Before I could walk away, a dizziness took over me and everything went blurry. I stumbled forward, and then fell to my knees. My head started to hurt and it was a blinding, white-hot kind of pain. I tried to get up and run back to my room, but then darkness swept over me and I felt my body hit the floor before everything went numb.

I woke up in an unfamiliar room that had plain white walls, and a single white door. I sat up and saw that I was laying on someone's bed. The scent seemed familiar, but that's such an odd thing that I didn't pay it any attention.

My head no longer hurt, but it was replaced by a fierce hunger. I didn't feel very powerful anymore either. I feel like my normal heart-broken self. It had happened again. The power had taken over, like it did when I first became a vampire a thousand years ago, and like it did when I attacked Klaus in Mystic Falls High School.

Will would know what to do. He would find one of his grimoire's and find a way for me to control this power when I'm angry and upset or he would at least comfort me. I miss him so much, and the thought of him and I never seeing each other again hurts so badly that I just want to turn it all off for a while.

Tears began to slip down my face, but I wiped them away. They just wouldn't stop, but I needed them too. I don't need to break down right now. I need to find out where I am, and if I need to escape then I will have to find a way to do that.

Sobs escaped my lips, and I brought my knees to my chest. My heart hurt just thinking about Will, and the crying began to make my head pound and my throat burn. It was shameless crying, but I still tried to stop myself.

After a while the sobs stopped, so I got up and looked around. The bed just had plain white sheets on it, and there was a chest of drawers in the corner of the room. A few books were scattered around the room, and they looked old, but I focused on the safe on the wall. I wanted to see if I could get into it, but what help would that be?

I walked over to the door, wiped my tears away, took a deep breath and then opened it. It let me into a hallway, which I walked down. That led to a living room and a kitchen. This was just a standard apartment, with white walls and an average kitchen. The living room had a standard flat-screen TV and a black leather couch that could comfortably fit three people.

"You must be Thalia," someone said from behind me, surprising me.

Quickly, I turned to see a teenage boy around my age standing there. He had light brown skin, green eyes with flecks of grey in them, and brown hair. He was average height and attractive, with a kind smile and a well-meaning, kind aura about him. There was something familiar and powerful about him.

"I am," I stated. "Who are you? And where am I?"

"I'm Lucien," he told me, the smile not dropping. "You're in my apartment that I share with Will. Klaus Mikaelson hunted us down to drop you off here, so maybe you should stay. He said that you have an issue with controlling your magic, gave us some blood bags, and then left. Will's out at the Casket Girl festival."

Taking everything in, I sat down on one of the bar stools near the kitchen bench. I put my head in my hands and groaned quietly. Lucien pushed something towards me, so I looked up and saw that it was a blood bag. I ripped the top off, but then tried to drink the blood as politely as I could. It's not easy to do that when you're starving, but I did my best.

I put the blood bag down after draining it dry and licked the remainder off my lips. There was a trash can sitting in the corner of the kitchen, so I threw the blood bag in. It landed right in the middle without touching the sides, and I grinned. There's some kind of sport reference that I could make, but I don't know what it is.

Will was out at the festival that I had intended to go to. The Casket Girls had to be strong, and I admired that about them. Now there's a festival for them, which is surprising, but this city really loves to party, and damn do the people here now how to do it.

"You know you're not the only one," Lucien spoke, pulling me away from my thoughts. "I'm an Umbra too. It's the word for us people who can use shadow magic. There's not many of us. My parents were witches, so they had a book that I used to control my magic, but it's not easy. So many of us end up dead."

"How do we end up dead?" I asked.

"It consumes us until either someone else kills us or the power takes us over and all that's left of us is our body. The beast within us that gives us this power is unleashed and kills our spirit, taking our body for itself. Some say it's a demon, others say it's the darker part of the soul."

Lucien went quiet and looked away. He seemed nervous. Worried almost. As if he were worried that he would lose control and the beast would take over. I suppose it is a real worry for most of us, who truly care about staying human.

I wonder if the beast took over before I passed out, or if my body fought it somehow. I'm definitely myself right now, but did I almost lose a battle I didn't even know about? If this thing takes over will it make me numb, or will I be trapped within my body, being forced to watch it destroy everything?

Also, why haven't I heard the word Umbra in this context before. It means shadow or shade in Latin, and in astronomy terms it means the perfect shadow of an opaque object, like a planet, where the direct light from a source of illumination is cut-off. It's like an area of the earth that is experiencing a total phase of an eclipse, as the source of illumination is cut off. It sort of makes sense, but it's still confusing.

Being an Umbra, in Lucien's terms, means we're a shadow, so maybe it's referring to our magic. Or maybe it's referring to the beast laying beneath our skin. Well, the other beast underneath mine. They both threaten to tear everyone and everything apart, so which is worse? The beast that may be a demon and is connected to my magic, or the demon that drains people of blood and has allowed me to be immortal..?


	43. Witches

Will had arrived home last night, glanced at me, and then he walked off. The room I had woken up in must have been his, as it is the one he stormed into. I knew there was a familiar scent in there, but now I'm wondering why he let me sleep there. Lucien seems like he would've happily let me stay in his room.

Last night I insisted on sleeping on the couch because there's only two rooms in this apartment. I lost the argument to Lucien, who went and slept in Will's bed with him. He told me that after passing out over my anger that I needed to get some actual rest. I was pretty tired too, so it wasn't hard for him to win the argument.

When I woke up this morning, Lucien told me that he was going out to breakfast with some friends of his. I just nodded and helped myself to one of the blood bags that Klaus had dropped off. He brought blood with him, but couldn't of brought me some clothes to change into or a hair brush? I had to use a comb to get the knots out of my hair.

I was now sitting on the couch, reading yesterday's news because I can't leave. All I want is to be able to leave this apartment, but I'm pretty sure that it's Will who put the spell up to stop me from leaving, and he refuses to speak to me. He's awake, but he won't even leave his room.

None of Lucien's clothes fit me because he's so much taller then me, but Will's shirts will. Why do I have to be like 5 foot 6. It's average height for women in America, but it's still pretty short. There's some things that I wouldn't be able to reach if it weren't for my vampirism and magic.

Getting annoyed with sitting in clothes that I've been wearing for two days now, I walked down the hall and knocked on Will's door. I think he forgot about my heightened hearing because he swore to himself and muttered something about how he should pretend to be asleep. Maybe that would work if I were human, but I'm not.

"Will, I know you're awake," I stated, raising my voice slightly. "I just need some sweatpants and a shirt that I can wear until my clothes have been washed and then dried."

"Go away!" He yelled.

"Don't be a dick!" I said, angrily now. " _You_ broke up with _me_ , not the other way around, remember? If either of us have a reason to be bitter it should be me! Now open your goddamn door before I kick it down!"

There was a sigh from the other side of the door and then I heard it unlock. I took a step back as it opened, and I saw Will standing there. His hair was a mess, and he had clearly not moved from his bed before now. He was shirtless too, and it took a lot of self-control not to check him out.

Will just stepped aside and let me walk into his room. Surprisingly, his room was perfectly clean. There wasn't any clothes on the floor or anything sticking out of the draws. In fact, this is what his old room in Mystic Falls looked like when we had the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. I assumed it was because he had the entire town in his house, but maybe not.

He took out a pair of sweatpants and one of his shirts, then tossed them at me. I caught them without trying, and then looked down at them. The shirt was plain black, and so were the sweatpants. I guess he was going back to the mysterious kid I first met.

Without a second thought, I stripped down to my surprisingly-matching black bra and underwear. As I turned to Will, I bit my lip and then put his shirt on. The shirt just covered my ass, so I put the sweatpants on his bed and smirked at him. I could see that he was frustrated, but not just because he was annoyed with me, if you get what I mean.

My eyes were on Will, but I wasn't trying to turn him on further. I had just missed seeing him, and I missed his all-too familiar scent, which I wasn't trying to inhale but his room smells like him and I can't help it. He looked so attractive that it hurt a little bit at first, but I realised that he might think the same thing about me.

I heard the front door open, and I realised that Will's bedroom door was wide-open, and we were standing pretty close to each other. He was shirtless and had messy hair, and I was wearing one of his shirts. To make things worse, I could hear three heartbeats instead of just Lucien and Will's. That means it wasn't just Lucien witnessing this.

Slowly, I turned to see Lucien holding the hand of a young man around his age. The young man I didn't know had Korean features, so I assumed he was from South Korea. His hair was brown, and his eyes were a darker brown then his hair. He was undoubtedly attractive, but I could see from the look in Lucien's eyes that he had a thing for the guy he was with.

"Well, what's happening here?" Lucien asked, smirking slightly. "Did we interrupt a moment? An after-sex moment, perhaps?"

Before either of us could finish feeling flustered and embarrassed for no real reason, and then answer the question, the entire building began to shake. Lucien grabbed his friend, who may be more then a friend, and pulled him into the doorframe. I grabbed Will and pulled him under his desk, letting him wrap his arms around me and hold me close to him.

The shaking stopped and Will let out a breath I doubt he knew he was holding. Lucien and his friend moved into the room, and I noticed that things had gone flying everywhere. I hate earthquakes. I hate the devastation and the fact that it destroys so many things. Most vampires only remain neutral when it comes to them because it makes it easier to feed.

Realising how close I was to Will, I moved out of his arms and got to my feet. He had a disappointed look on his face, but I just went straight to the sweatpants and slipped them on. They were a bit big so I had to tie them up at the front and then roll them, but they were fine after that.

"That wasn't a normal earthquake," Lucien's friend said. "Does your friend know about... You know?"

"Vampires? Witches? Warlocks?" I suggested. "Yeah. I'm Thalia Ashwood, the Original vampire who isn't a Mikaelson." I shook his hand and then sat on Will's bed. "That was supernatural. I'll call Klaus and see if he knows what just happened."

"I'm Kris," he stated. "Maybe we shouldn't call Klaus. He seems like a bad guy."

A scoff left my lips, but I hadn't intended to be rude. It's just that calling Klaus a _'bad guy'_ was a major understatement. He's a cruel, sadistic killer who doesn't want to be alone but isolates himself just to spite both himself and other people. That, and he only thinks about himself quite a lot. He thinks about what's best for him, and not his siblings too.

The only Originals that could be described as simply bad would be Elijah and Finn. Rebekah has shown that she can be a manipulative bitch, and so can I. Kol can lose his mind and snap for no reason, but he also enjoys toying with people. Esther and Mikael are to blame for their children being like this, so they're not just _'bad'_ either.

I got my phone and hesitated before pressing the button to call Klaus. He answered the phone immediately, which was odd for him. Usually I have to wait until the very final ring, and he never calls back.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

 _"Davina's coughing up dirt because apparently the Harvest Ritual needs to be completed,"_ Klaus told me. _"Of course, that's what Sophie Devereaux is saying."_

Before I could respond, another earthquake started and I had to drop to my hands and knees. I covered my head as the earth shook and more things fell to the ground. Upon seeing me drop and cover my head, the others did the same until the earth stopped shaking, which was soon after. Too soon after for a quake of that magnitude.

"Let me guess," I insisted, sighing. "She's dying and it's only going to get worse. We'll be hit with intense winds, storms and flooding, and then finally fire. This Sophie girl isn't lying. Find an elder or make someone one, and then complete the ritual. Oh, and come pick me up and bring a change of clothes. We're gonna need all hands on deck until this is over."

Klaus hung up and I put my phone in the surprisingly deep pocket. There's decent pockets in these, and they're comfortable. This is like some kind of dream. I don't really want to change out of this because it's really comfortable, but if I'm going to kick ass today then I should probably look decent.

Lucien and Kris went to the kitchen, shutting the door behind themselves to leave Will and I alone. He still seemed pretty disappointed, but it had been replaced by his fake anger again. I just looked at him and sighed, knowing that I wouldn't have another chance to get close to him again.

"Thanks for pulling me under the desk," Will muttered.

"Yeah, whatever."

 **Hey guys :)**

 **Sorry to end the chapter like that but the updates for this might be slower now because school is getting more intense and I'm tired all the time and I'm doing a lot of things right now. Also, I'm writing another fan fiction that will hopefully be up some time this weekend called Wolves in the Walls, which will be a Teen Wolf fan fic.**

 **What would you guys like to see happen between Thalia and Will? Do you want to see them finally properly get together? Or do you want them to stay split up? Maybe they'll just be friends with benefits? Who knows? Not me right now?**

 **\- Izzy**


	44. Saving New Orleans

Sometimes we are faced with a choice that we don't want to have to make. To make those choices, you have to go against what you believe no matter what. Ofttimes it is only you who believes that you have made the wrong choice, but you are the one who breaks yourself, not anyone else. You let yourself become broken over it, instead of fighting to do the right thing next time.

Today, Will made the choice to actually listen to Klaus and take down the spell keeping me _in_ his apartment and Klaus _out_ of it. It's the first of many difficult decisions that will be made today. The second was whether or not I would give Will his shirt back, which I decided against because it smells like him and it's really comfortable.

I said a quick goodbye to Will, Lucien, and Kris before Klaus was dragging me out of the apartment. He wasn't in a good mood, so when we got back to the house and he accidentally locked me in the car because he'd gotten out and stormed off, I wasn't even surprised. I unlocked the car and just left it like that, not really worrying about someone stealing it.

As I walked into the house, I heard arguing between Rebekah and Klaus. I didn't pay it any attention, and just went to the nearest liquor cabinet and got out a bottle of bourbon. Trying to distract myself from the fact that Will and I were so close today by drinking is all I can do right now.

Klaus and Rebekah used their heightened speed to run into the room and make it seem like they appeared out of nowhere. They both looked angry, and I assumed that something had happened with Davina. Maybe she killed a guard.

I had been caught up on what was happening on the way here. Davina is coughing up dirt and needs to be sacrificed or when she dies, the coven she's apart of loses their magic and the entire city goes down with her. Killing her to save hundreds of thousands of people seems like an easy choice to make, but I don't think Marcel can do it. He's too close to her to be able to make the right choice.

"Marcel has hidden Davina!" Klaus snapped, taking the bottle of bourbon from my hands. "We need to find her! You go and find Elijah and make sure that the witches are doing that locator spell! I'm going to check the church. Surely they wouldn't think that we would look there."

"Klaus, Marcel isn't a fool," I said, sighing after. "He would think to go to the church, but he knows that it's the first place we would check. I was the one who had all of the contact with the witches when we last lived here. Let me see if there is a way to slow down what is happening to Davina if she is not with us."

When Klaus didn't argue, I took that as a yes so I took my bottle of bourbon back and headed upstairs. I went to Klaus' art room, which is currently doubling as my music room. It only has a piano in it, but that wasn't what I was interested in. I went to sit out on the balcony as I made some calls.

Will, Lucien, and Kris all had an idea on how we could control Davina's magic, and the grandson of an old friend of mine dropped off her grimoire. It turns out that Kris is a werewolf, so we're like a little squad of supernatural beings. It's pretty cool, actually.

Seeing how the witch, Sabine, was doing a locator spell in the cemetery we decided to meet up there. According to Lucien, Will wasn't keen on helping me but he's doing it anyway. Kris wanted to help too, so he'll probably just advise us and help us find the right spell.

Klaus was annoyed that I had people helping out, but it's the fastest way to do this. Sophie is trying to consecrate Elijah's ex-lover's bones, and Sabine is doing a spell to find Marcel and Davina. All we're trying to do is stop her from destroying the city before we find out where she is. There's no problem with that.

I was getting frustrated when I couldn't help with the spells that they were trying. Most were different locator spells and Kris couldn't do anything either, but he was fine with it. He's never been a warlock and he doesn't know what it's like to see people use the power you once had. It's the only thing I miss about being human.

Someone entered the mausoleum I was sitting in, but I didn't bother to look up at them. I don't really care who it is or what they have to say right now. All I want is to feel the familiar rush that using magic used to bring me.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, sitting down next to me. "You miss it, don't you? I read the book of a witch who's magic was stolen from them and she couldn't live without it."

"I'm one of the eldest, most powerful vampires in the world, but I still want more," I muttered. "I could kill someone with a little extra strength, but it's not always what I want." Will tilted my head up so he could look into my eyes. "The one thing I want more than anything is the one thing I can't have. I miss it so much. There's nothing like the rush you get from using magic."

Will looked at me sadly and I wanted to look away because I don't need his pity, but I didn't. We both leaned in, and our lips met briefly. He pulled away, but didn't stop looking at me. I decided to just go with my instincts and stay still. If he wants to kiss me again then he can do so, but I don't want to screw everything up and make the first move.

Usually I know what to do, but right now I don't. Should I break the silence that is becoming rather uncomfortable? Or should I just sit here and take in how handsome Will is? Maybe I could do both and make proper conversation?

"Klaus told me that you drank a lot the two days after we broke up," Will informed me, quietly. "Did you, uh, sleep with anyone else during that time?"

Does he really want to ask that question? I could ask him the same thing, but I know that he didn't. Klaus didn't say anything to him about me sleeping with Dustin, and I know he wouldn't unless he was truly angry, so Will has asked this question because he knows that I might've.

The silence was damning. Will knew that I'd slept with someone else, but we broke up. I was trying to drown my sorrows in one of the only two ways I know how. At least I didn't get drunk and call him and beg for him to forgive me and take me back. I did something pathetic, but it wasn't as pathetic as it could've been.

"Just say that you did!" Will hissed. "Admit it! Who was it, Thalia?!"

"Fine," I agreed, pathetically. "I slept with someone the day after you broke up with me. His name is Dustin Maxwell, and we agreed to only do it again if I asked. I haven't asked again, in case you were wondering."

"Are you really that much of a bitch?!" Will snapped, getting to his feet. There were tears in his eyes and they began to stream down his face. "Couldn't even wait a day to replace me?! I'm not even surprised because you're so weak! Did you attack Klaus in the hopes that you could have angry sex with him?! Or did you do it because you wanted to find me and hurt me even more?! Goodbye, Thalia. Don't contact me again."

My heart was breaking for a second time this week, but I bit my trembling lip and kept quiet. There's nothing I can do or say right now because I'll just make it worse. I watched as Will walked away from me yet again, as tears began to stream down my face.

A weak sob escaped my lips, so I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them. It helped muffle my sobs, but I wasn't worried about anyone finding me like this. Everyone else has more important things to do anyway.

Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah had agreed to bury Esther in the yard of The Plantation, which is in the French Quarter. It's because for some reason, they couldn't consecrate Celeste's bones. That sounds more then a bit sketchy to me, but I didn't really want to say anything because I couldn't guarantee that my voice wouldn't crack and that I wouldn't start crying again.

First, I had to go and speak to Marcel and Davina about the Harvest Ritual. Rebekah got through to Marcel, but then Davina started crying again and he kicked Rebekah out. She's not sure if they'll come or not, so I have to be the one that guarantees they're there.

I was given an address down near the docks, so I went to find Marcel and Davina. I didn't really want to go and find them, but I didn't want to see the city burn down and thousands of innocent people die again. If it were to happen again, it would be the third time and if the third time's the charm, then the city would never be rebuilt because there would be nothing left.

Deciding not to knock on the door to there warehouse-apartment, I walked straight in. Marcel was pacing back and forth, and Davina seemed angry. Both of them noticed me immediately, and Marcel ran at me, but I simply moved to the other side of the room. I'm not here to fight, and they need to know that.

"Calm down," I insisted. "I'm not here to play the big bad wolf and blow down your house, nor am I here to take Davina and kill her against her will. All I want to do is talk."

"Then say what you have to say and leave!" Marcel snapped.

"What is with people and being angry with me today?" I asked, getting annoyed. "I'm having a very bad day, and I just want to relax. I can't do that _until you two realise that you're being selfish idiots_!" I began to get angry while I was speaking, so I took a moment to calm down. "Just go do the ritual. Death is only temporary for you."

Marcel watched me closely, as I ran a hand down my face and let out a low sigh. I could see how scared Davina was, but it wasn't because of me. She was scared to die. At least she knew she would be coming back. For most people, death is the very end.

As soon as this was done, I would have to go to the cemetery to help Sophie prepare for the ritual. I've seen this happen before, and I helped the witches keep it a secret from the other Originals. They were never witches, apart from Kol, and none of them ever knew what it was like to feel your power slowly fading away.

"I can tell you for a fact that dying is the most frightening experience there is," I informed Davina. "I've seen people die, I've made people die, and I've died myself. At least you will come back. There are eight other covens in New Orleans who will lose their power and it is not a fun experience. That is if they even live. You're going to die anyway, so why take thousands of innocent people down with you?"

"What would you do?" Davina asked me, quietly.

I considered this for a minute because I really don't know what I would do anymore. When I was her age, the choice would've been so much simpler. 1000 years changes your view of life, and whether or not selfishness is a real worry.

"When I was human I would've saved everyone," I said. "I can't tell you what I would do now, but I hope I would save all those people. I'll see you at the cemetery."

Without another word, I used my heightened speed to leave the apartment and go to the cemetery. I just had to hope that Davina would really listen to my words and agree to follow after me. Before I entered, I heard her talking about how she would consider it, but she wasn't too sure.

I joined Klaus, Hayley, Elijah, Rebekah, and this Sophie Devereaux in the cemetery. The site reeked of death, but it also smelt like old blood. From what I know, the Harvest Ritual has been performed here twice. This time it was stopped, and it could have dangerous repercussions. Who knows what those girls experienced during their extended time in limbo.

Everyone looked at me for confirmation and I just nodded. I don't really want to be here and I don't want to witness this. Last time I was angry at Klaus and I thought that the witches would work with me against him. My humanity wasn't entirely there either, but I didn't turn it off. I never have, so I refused to witness the last ritual.

If I was put in Davina's place, I couldn't guarantee that I would be sacrificed. I would try to find a way to fight it first, and if that didn't work then I don't think I would give myself over to the witches. She really seems to hate them, so I think I would just sacrifice myself. I wouldn't do it for them - I would do it for the other three girls who are meant to be my friends and sisters.

She is stronger then I am, and that scares me. She was faced with a choice that meant death either way, and she chose to give herself up to the very people she hates. I suppose not doing it would go against her morals, but surely she would've been able to find another way to die and save everyone without giving herself up to the witches.

Flames erupted near the entrance, and I took a step back. Everyone else was startled too, but as Sophie muttered that it was fire, Marcel walked in. He was carrying Davina bridal-style and the flames were following them and licking at his heels.

Marcel reached the altar, and I reached for Rebekah's arm. Davina was set down on her feet, and she stood there surprisingly calmly. Sophie held the ceremonial dagger over the flames before walking over to her, with a sad look in her eyes. It was clear that she was only doing this to bring her niece back.

"Do you believe in the harvest?" Sophie asked.

"I believe," Davina agreed, nodding nervously.

Sophie raised the blade and slit Davina's throat. The poor girl gasped in shock and had time to grab at her throat before falling back - dead. Marcel was there to catch her dead body and he gently laid her down on the ground. The rain stopped as Davina's skin began to glow gold and the magic in her body flooded into the earth.

"After the Harvest comes the Reaping," Sophie stated. "Their sacrifices made and accepted. We call upon our Elders to resurrect the chosen ones." Nothing happened and we all looked at each other. "We call upon our Elders to resurrect the chosen ones..." Yet again, nothing happened. "Resurrect your chosen ones... Please? I beg you..."

Sophie dropped to her knees and began to sob, as it was obvious that something had gone wrong and that the four girls aren't coming back. Hayley and Rebekah started to cry, while Elijah and Klaus looked upset. Marcel looked as if he was about to burst into tears and gave Klaus a look of hatred before using his heightened speed to run away.

Tears pricked my eyes and I didn't know what to do. It was my fault that Davina died because I was the one who convinced her to go through with the ritual. I don't really want anyone here to comfort me, but I don't want to be alone either.

Using my heightened speed, I went to the first place that came to mind. Unfortunately for me, it was Will's apartment and I don't know where else to go. I can't go home yet, and I can't go anywhere else, so I walked up to the door and weakly knocked on it.

My knees felt as if they were going to give out as I barely managed to choke back my sobs. It was Will who opened the door, and he was shocked to see me there. I just stood there as it began to rain again, with tears running down my face. I've already screwed one thing up, so I may as well try to right my wrongs with Will.

"I'm so sorry," I said, trying not to break down. "I've done some really horrible things lately and I just can't handle it anymore."

I stepped forward and kissed Will hungrily. He pulled me close, by my soaking wet shirt, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. The kiss was full of desire and it was clear that we had both missed the way it felt to kiss each other and be so close.

Will put his hands on my waist and slid them up my shirt, but I made the decision to pull away. He removed his hands, which dropped to his sides. His eyes were on me, and they were filled with lust as he bit his lip and watched my closely. Tears were still on my cheeks, and they began to flow again, although you couldn't really see it.

"I want to make it up to you," I told him, shakily. "Let me take you on a date sometime this week. Please. I just want to do something right."

A sob racked my body, and Will pulled me close. He shut his front door and held me, as we stood in his warm hallway. The feeling of someone wrapping their arms around you and holding you close is oddly comforting. Will doesn't even know what I've done yet, but this is such a forgiving hug.

"What's wrong?" He asked, pushing a strand of hair out of my face. "What happened?"

"W-we had to sacrifice Davina," I whispered, hoarsely. "I was the one who convinced her to do the Harvest ritual, and now..." I couldn't finish my sentence because another sob racked my body, making my knees weak. "She's dead, Will. We don't know why she didn't come back, but none of them did. It's all my fault."

Surprisingly, Will pulled me close again and just let me cry. He walked us over to the couch, where he sat down and pulled me so I was resting my head on his chest. I sensed the presence of Kris and Lucien, but I wasn't particularly worried about them.

After sobbing for at least twenty minutes, I began to get tired and I couldn't cry anymore. I kept my head on Will's chest and just let the darkness wash over me...


	45. Blast From The Past

There was something so undeniably enticing about Will. I don't know if it's his kindness, or his beauty, or the fragility of his human life, which he ignores so eagerly. He is just everything that I have wanted and more, and he makes me so happy.

We went on our fourth date in a week and a half last night, and then I slept over in his room. I was not that surprised when we just fell asleep in each other's arms, without touching each other in a sexual way. There's something different about our relationship this time, and whatever it is, it is a wonderful difference.

I watched as Will moved about his room, searching for a clean shirt to wear. He let me wear one of his shirts that was too big for him, so when I offered him the one I was wearing he told me to keep it on. In all honesty, I liked watching him look for a shirt. The way he moved was mesmerising, and I just couldn't keep my eyes off of him.

Being centuries old and having fallen in love more then once, I can assure myself that I'm not in love with him yet. However, I can't help but wonder about how crushing my love for him will be if I feel so strongly right now. Maybe it is my Umbra side that is in charge when I look at him because I think such human thoughts.

He put his shirt on and turned to look at me. I'd gotten changed while he was looking for a shirt, so I sat on his bed next to his shirt that was too-big for him. I saw the small smile on Will's face, but it disappeared as soon as the door to his room opened.

Lucien and Kris were standing at the door with proud grins on their faces. It was as if Will was their child and I was marrying him, so they were proud of us both. I found it annoying, but I felt loved and cared for at the same time.

"Thalia, Will has to drop you home because Klaus came past last night and took your car," Lucien explained, remaining oddly calm despite the fact that someone took my car. "We're going out for breakfast, so we'll see you later this week."

We all said our goodbyes before Lucien and Kris left, holding hands and heading towards Kris' car. It turns out that Kris and Lucien have been dating for almost a year, so they decided that Kris could move into Lucien's room in this apartment. They want to move into their own apartment, but there aren't any near the university that they can afford.

Will turned to me and grinned, but it wasn't the seductive kind of grin that you would expect. He was smiling like an excited little kid who just saw a puppy, and it was adorable. He took my hand, and without saying a word, he began to pull me out of his room and then out of his apartment.

We got into his car and Will started to drive, playing 'How You Like Me Now' by The Heavy. He sped in a direction I didn't immediately recognise. I kept quiet anyway, and was surprised to find that we had gone down to the Docks, which I haven't visited since I left New Orleans.

"I haven't been here since I left," I admitted, getting out of Will's car.

He took my hand and we began to stroll along the dock. I love the sound of water, and the feel of being around it brings me peace. Will knows this because I told him once, but I didn't expect him to remember. I won't say anything, just in case he decided to come down here for fun.

The silence we were in was comfortable, and I felt safe with Will by my side. I like the fact that we don't have to always be talking when we're around each other. There is only so much time I can spend with an over-talkative person before I lose my mind and tell them to shut up, or break up with them in this case.

I don't know why, but we entered a warehouse with the number 57 on it. As we walked in, something felt wrong and it smelt like death. Will and I walked further in and I didn't say anything, but I held his hand looser then I had before. If he has to run, he won't want to wait for me to untangle my hand from his, will he?

This warehouse was well lit, but I almost let out a yell of surprise when I saw the dead bodies of two fellow vampires in front of me. They had a familiar symbol carved into their foreheads, and I felt a wave of dread wash over me. Something is wrong here.

A scream escaped Will's lips when Rebekah's body appeared in front of us. She wasn't dead, but she was desiccated. Whoever did this wanted us to come here and find these bodies, so we know that we're in a lot of trouble. I want to tell Will to run, but it's not safe for him to do so just yet. Not until whoever else is here reveals their location.

"I can hear your heartbeat!" I called, letting go of Will's hand completely. I turned to Will, who was staring at the bodies in fear and confusion. "You're just a copycat! You don't scare me!"

"Mademoiselle Ashwood, surely you would know better then to think of me as a copycat," An all-too familiar voice said.

I turned on my heel and saw Papa Tunde standing there. He had a cold smile on his face, and his eyes kept flicking between Will and I. If he even tries to go for Will, I'll tear him limb from limb and make his death slow and painful.

When Klaus last ruled New Orleans, Papa Tunde came from out of town and declared himself a king of the city. He was the leader of the multiple witch covens, and practised sacrificial magic as well as the normal ancestral magic of New Orleans witches. He killed the werewolves, vampires, humans, and even witches and warlocks that dared to oppose him.

Papa Tunde is an African-American man in his forties or fifties, and he is completely bald. He wore a white suit with a matching white bowtie, and stood with an aura of power. With Rebekah's power, he's just as powerful as I am.

If Papa Tunde is back, does that mean that the magic from the Harvest resurrected other dead witches, and not the Harvest Girls? Is it possible that someone channelled the magic to raise people such as Papa Tunde from the dead? And if they did, then who did it and who has come back from the dead?

"Your boyfriend is a warlock," he stated. "His power would be useful to me, you know. All I would have to do is get rid of you, which won't be hard with Rebekah's power."

He's trying to get on my nerves, but I know better than to let him. Will was still scared and confused, but he'd collected himself and now he was glaring at Papa Tunde. He better not try anything because I don't know if I can help him.

"I was always more powerful then Rebekah," I reminded him. "Undo whatever you did to Rebekah and let us leave. You don't need to repeat history. We can be allies and keep Klaus in on it this time. You want power? I'll give it to you and guarantee your safety."

"I want revenge against Klaus and the Originals. You're an Original, last I checked, and you can't die. Your friend can, though."

Both Papa Tunde and I took a step forward, ready and willing to fight each other. I'll tear him apart if that's what I have to do. He can use his magic, but I can use my words. Words cut deeper then swords in situations like these.

When he was last here, he wanted power. Now he wants revenge. To get revenge he's going to need power and if I can twist his words and thoughts then maybe I can win. I still want New Orleans for myself and the best leaders know when to fight and when to speak. I'm the best leader this city could have, and now is the time to speak. Fighting may come later.

"You need power to get revenge," I pointed out, cautiously. "And I have power without the fuel that revenge provides. We can work together to take New Orleans. You control the witches, humans and werewolves, and I control the vampires and Umbras. Klaus killed you, not me. Let's take him down together."

A cold laugh escaped Papa Tunde's lips and I realised that he's already working with other people. He doesn't just want revenge against Klaus - he wants New Orleans all for himself and all of the vampires gone. I just made things worse and angered him, meaning that Will's now in even more danger. Soon, Klaus might know my plan too.

"Will, I want you to run," I told him, glancing behind me. "Right now."

Papa Tunde sent me flying back and walked towards Will, who was looking back at me. I tried to get on my feet, but Tunde had me pinned to the ground. He was walking up to Will pretty fast, and I can see that now Will's pinned in place too.

My fingers could move slightly, so I tried to focus on the shadows and dark magic in the room. Lucien warned me not to try anything like this without him helping me, but I can't listen to those instructions right now. Now is the time to fight, not to speak, and I have to help Will before Papa Tunde kills him and takes Will's magic for his own.

Gathering as much strength as I could, I first tried to move the shadows towards Papa Tunde. They weren't working fast enough, and Will was struggling to get away. Whatever was keeping him frozen in place was stopping him from speaking and using a spell as well.

The shadows wrapped around me as Papa Tunde reached Will, and I felt all of my power return. I got to my feet and ran at Papa Tunde, throwing him away from Will and momentarily breaking all his spells. Will took a deep breath and looked at me, grateful.

"I can fight him with you," Will insisted. "We can fight together."

"No, we can't," I argued, quietly.

"I'm strong enough, and if you use the shadows too much then you're going to need someone to help you control yourself," Will continued. "If I'm going to date you, then I want us to be equal. I'm not the damsel in distress and neither are you."

"Run as fast as you can and don't stop until you get to your car," I said, compelling him. "Then I want you to drive back to the compound and stay there. Tell Klaus or Elijah what happened too. They need to know."

Will did as I compelled him to do, even though it was clear that he didn't want to. I felt bad, but he was running and Papa Tunde was back on his feet. Cracking my knuckles for the dramatic flare, I then punched Papa Tunde in the face.

I didn't want to compel Will either, but I know that he would die if he stayed here. He doubts Papa Tunde's power because he hasn't seen what this man can do. Will might hate me, but at least I saved him from potentially dying.

"He's not going to forgive you for that," Papa Tunde informed me, laughing cruelly. "You certainly have a thing for ruining your relationships. I don't know how you just used that magic or broke free of my spell, but all your power is mine now."

Without thinking for even half a second, I sped forward and picked Papa Tunde up by the throat. He wasn't choking yet, but he will be soon. I want his death to be slow, and I want him to know that the breaths he's struggling to take right now will be his last.

My idea was stupid because Tunde just laughed and I felt my body begin to desiccate. I dropped him and stumbled back, looking down at my body. Grey veins were creeping up my neck, and I fell to the ground. Papa Tunde was chanting, but I couldn't hear much because I was desiccating and I might never wake up.

I could feel all my power draining and although I tried to fight for consciousness, I just couldn't. The darkness swept over me, and I couldn't help but let it...

I sat up, taking a deep breath on instinct. My eyes had snapped open, and I looked around. I was in my room in the compound, and Klaus was waiting for me to wake up. Will wasn't with him, which worried me a bit.

My body feels so unbearably weak, but I can't dwell on that. I have to stay strong and find Papa Tunde. When I find him, I'm going to tear him limb from limb, and show him an even worse death then I had planned for him before. He'll scream and beg for mercy, and I'll relish in it. Nobody takes me out and gets away with it.

"Will told us everything, and then I sent him home to get some rest," Klaus explained. "With your power, Papa Tunde almost killed Marcel and tortured me. Your foolishness almost cost our family. Don't let it happen again because when we find him, we're going to kill him." He glanced at the alarm clock beside my bed. "You woke up a lot later then Rebekah."

"What do you think I tried to do, Klaus?" I asked, annoyedly. "I gripped his throat and he was dying, but he had Rebekah's power. He desiccated me as I was killing him, and I don't know how. I don't want to go after him. Be careful, Niklaus."

" _Niklaus_ ," he muttered, not used to the way it sounded when I said it. Klaus got to his feet with an unreadable expression on his face. "Will might want to speak to you, so I suggest you go and find him."

Klaus walked out of my room, and I ran a hand through my hair. I had to go and find Will, but I'm so hungry that I might not be able to control myself around him. Maybe I should feed first, and feel later because that's what I used to do...


End file.
